Cold Inferno
by Ayrki
Summary: A semi-Silver Millennium story that centres mainly on Minako and Hotaru. A seemingly undefeatable foe threatens the prosperity of the Moon Kingdom with no choice they must call upon the sleeping senshi to help fight the foe. Update: 18.04.03
1. Chapter 1Dying

Title: Cold Inferno

Author: Ayrki

Email: ayrki@yahoo.com, (or if no answer then use ayrki@iinet.net.au)

Disclaimer: IT WASN'T ME!!!!  I SWEAR!!!!  YOU CAN'T PROVE ANYTHING!  I DIDN'T DO IT!!!  YOU WILL NEVER GET THE TRUTH OUT OF ME!!!……What not that kinda disclaimer?  Oh, oops.  Hee Hee.  Just ignore brief bit of insanity.  Do you really think that a psycho like me would own Sailor Moon?  Phffff, yeah right.  I do how ever own a few people (Arica, Tarius, and a few other inconsequential. 

Rating: PG-13-ish maybe I should bump it up to R 

Summary: Set in the Silver Millennium era, though before Beryl, the galaxy once again finds it's self threatened by evil.  This time Saturn is called upon to awaken if they fail and evil succeeds.  It will centre mostly on Minako and Hotaru, though more on Minako in the first chapter and a half.

Author's Notes:  Firstly, this story will have homosexual relationships in it, if this bothers you then this really isn't the story for you.  There are bits of mythology interlaced in to this story and I will try to explain it fully, if there are any problems then please email me at one of the above addresses and I will better explain it.  This story will be written in five different chapters, though I will probably break up the chapter and post it in parts so that I can get it out a 'little' quicker.  As soon as I finish each chapter I will reload it (if possible) as one whole chapter that has been re-edited once again.  This is Chapter one which include two of my previous posts, I edited a few things that didn't work but nothing essential; there is a lot added to it.  As to the whole updating thing, I am really sorry about taking so long; this thing has just gotten away from me.  Each time I was going to wrap it up another thing popped up and needed to be changed, I have been trying for the last week to get this out but something always delays it.  Hopefully the delay was worth it because I proofread some parts of this about a thousand times.  Oh, one last thing, if anyone has any free time and wants to help me out I could really use some help as a beta reader, there are just some things I don't catch.  Thank you, and tell me what you think.

"For every evil there are but two remedies: time and silence."  ~Edmond Dante The Count of Monte Cristo

Three things to think about before you read this:

I.  Have you ever touched something so cold that it actually feels as if it is burning?

II. Has everything seemed so bleak that there can be no possible future?

III.  Can you actually say that you have no bad qualities, or are you just human?

~~~ Dying ~~~

Staring into the deepest reaches of space, the darkest of Senshi sighed and turned away.  She had been named 'she who walked with death,' she knew death; hell, she had wrought it upon countless races.  She was the dark night and destruction that they all feared.  To them she **was death.  She was the very creature that had served as their nightmares and caused them to unite against her when she sought to fulfil her role in destiny.  When the death, hatred and evil arose to uncontrollable levels ****she reset the cycle, **she** made their lives begin anew, yet they feared her.**

In front of her lay a planet untouched by the evil that plagued the universe.  No evil dared to touch **her planet, not while she slumbered; here good and evil held a common trait.  Though they both feared her greatly, evil feared her far more than good; if she were to call upon the Silence then there would be nothing.  Evil feared the dark, silent, cold Void far more than good, for when life starts anew it is pure and inclined to do shun evil.  After the silence evil had to form a new foot hold in the universe.**

The universe thought Saturn a cold dead planet; naïve to the fact that under the turbulent winds there laid a world as beautiful as Venus and Earth.   As advanced as Pluto and Mercury, as passionate as Mars and Uranus, as courageous as its neighbour Jupiter, and as elegant as Neptune and the Moon, Saturn was the paradise sought by all but known to none.  Not even the wisest of Pluto knew of the untold wonders that existed on the silent planet.

This was their destiny; it was hers too.  She was only to awake when there was great need for the bringer of the silence.  And of the cold inferno of death.

~~~ And thus the end begins ~~~

Staring at the same sky Princess Minako finally turned back to the cheerful scene inside.  Though she was usually known as the cheerful, happy Senshi, recently a darker mood had descended upon her.  She had a mysterious feeling that the prosperity that was the Moon Kingdom was coming to an end.  She had not mentioned this to the others; it would most likely just upset them to no end.  She had also begun to wonder about the burden that would soon rest upon her shoulders; soon she would not only be Sailor Venus but also queen of her patron planet.  Perhaps that was all that it was, the fear of having innumerable lives depend upon her every decision.  Finally expelling her melancholy thoughts she plastered a smile on to her graceful features and walked into the bright room that held her friends and fellow Senshi.  As soon as Princess Serenity saw the princess of Venus she cried out, "Minako, Rei is being mean to me."

In spite of herself, Princess Minako grinned and simply asked, "When isn't she?"  To the side of her, the tall princess of Jupiter laughed in agreement.  She sat with the shy Princess Ami, who was attempting to teach her the finer points of Mercurian Chess.

"Mina…" the girl wailed.

 "Forgive me, for no offence was meant to you, dear Princess," Minako said with a soothing smile as she sat down opposite to the princesses of the Moon and Mars, Serenity and Rei.  An odd silence fell upon the group; they had all noticed the change in the blond-haired beauty, there were times when her sombreness would rival that of Setsuna, the eternal Keeper of Time.  None had spoken of the changes, attributing it to the fact that they were all growing up.  Growling inwardly, she mentally kicked herself for sounding so serious, "So, did anybody else hear the rumour?"  She asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

"No, what have you heard now, Minako?" the raven-haired princess of Mars inquired.

"Well, when I was going to speak with Her Majesty I, by chance, overheard her and my mother talking about holding a ball.  It would take place within the next seven-day."

"Really?"  Princess Serenity squealed in delight.

"Yup, and guess what else I heard."

"What, Minako?  If you don't tell us then Serenity might explode," the emerald-eyed thunder senshi said with a grin causing her blue haired companion to smack her arm lightly.

"Behave," Ami whispered, trying to conceal her own smile.

"You are all so mean to meeeeee!!!!!!!!" Serenity wailed at the top of her lungs.

"I heard that Princess Setsuna should be attending."

Princess stopped her wail in mid-breath, her mouth still open; the other princesses gaped too.  The ruler of Pluto rarely visited the moon, too deeply submerged in her duties as the Keeper of Time.  "How is that so?" Ami asked.  "She never comes to any social gathering or event unless it is of significant importance."

"True, but she can not ignore a royal decree.  Queen Serenity sent out a message that all but ordered Setsuna to come, it is supposed to be a 'coming of age' ball.  What ever that means," Minako said as she made a face.

"Cool.  It sounds like fun, and there should be lots of cute guys, eh Minako?"  Makoto said with another grin.

~~~~~

Rising early, the Senshi of Love and Beauty quickly dressed in her practice cloths. Quietly, she padded down the halls, practising her stealth; in her wake she left many startled guards who had never heard her approach, nor pass.  In a happier mood she walked out passed the multiple gardens, stopping once or twice to smell a particular flower, to the training grounds.  Knights, wandering warriors, and soldiers preferred to practise and spar here, away from the passing eyes of wandering ladies and nobles.  She preferred to spend her time there because few would recognise her in her sparring clothes, or after she was thoroughly coated in dust and mud.  Though a few suspected as to her identity, they kept it to themselves and treated her as an equal.  Exactly as she wanted, goddess at court but warrior on the fields.

Running a few warm-up laps around one of the fields, she took note of those present in the early dawn light.  Most were guards or seasoned warriors who had learned the virtue of rising early.  Kalian, a large brawny knight of Jupiter, was sparring with Merkerus, a quick tempered and cunning Mars knight.  At that moment, Kalian was trying to fend off the furious Martian; she had taken a fall to avoid a violent thrust and had quickly found herself quite muddy.  Grinning, Minako listened to the two opponents hurl insults at each other.  To the casual observer they looked like mortal enemies but were, in fact, quite close.  "'Tis only a matter of time 'til they realise it," she mused.

Across the grounds Minako saw the lithe form if Tarius, a Plutonian Knight.  He, like the others of his people, tended to be mysterious and lethal fighters; though quite young, he was greatly respected.  A cool-headed soldier in battle, he had proved to be invaluable in intelligence and strategy.  Though seen as cold and unfeeling, Minako knew him to have quite a wicked streak when provoked into mischief.  She had learned this the hard way when she was younger.  She stopped her laps and began to stretch her limber body.

In the field next to her, she saw many young novice warriors following the directions of a trainer.  Some were quite talented, whilst others continuously dropped their quarterstaves on each other.  One such novice's grip slipped and dropped his staff upon the heads of the others.  Enraged, another student turned to shout at the other; they ended up running two laps around the _entire_ training grounds.  This resulted in an eight-kilometre run (about five miles).  In yet another nearby field, Minako caught sight of a familiar figure.

Princess Ten'oh Haruka furiously fought off three different, fully trained, knights in a whirlwind of thrusts, parries, and jabs.  As she watched, the Uranian princess disarmed and incapacitated one man with a roundhouse kick and knocked another out cold with a harsh blow to the back of the skull with the hilt of her sword.  The remaining knight succeeded in surprising Haruka from behind; unarmed, the wind senshi reacted quickly.  With the heel of one hand she struck the woman's nose causing blood to freely flow, then brought her foot down upon the knight's.  She then drove her elbow into the surprised knights stomach and used her other hand to roughly hit the other's causing her to drop the weapon.  The knight had never known what had hit her.

"She's good isn't she?" Tarius' cool, quiet voice came from close behind her.  Minako didn't even bother to ask how he had snuck up on her, she had long since gotten used to it.  Turning from the sight of Haruka helping the knights up, she focused on the young man in front of her.

At six-foot-two the Plutonian towered above her, his eyes were the colour of blood and had onyx coloured hair.  Like many of his people, his skin was quite tan, though darker than most as a result of his travels.  Even though Pluto was not a largely populated planet, a few groups had settled on the distant planet.  "Yeah, she certainly is.  I wonder how they would react if they discovered that she was female, and that she was a princess."

"Ah, they would splutter about like fouls claimin' that they knew all along and were goin' easy on 'er," Tarius gave a rare grin.  Around most he spoke in a well-educated manner but around Minako he slipped back into his childhood accent.  "Rememb'r few know that Haruka is ah female, we know simply because o' the court.  I'm sure ya kin understan' her reasons," he paused a moment before turning back to her, "Sew my Miko shall we dance?"

She grinned at his nickname for her, knowing that she wished her identity not broadly known unless necessary, he had introduced her as Miko to the regular knights and soldiers.  "Aye, how shall it be today?  Hand to hand?  Archery?  Your sai, or perhaps you would try a sword today?"

Tarius chuckled, "Well, I tend to match you at hand to hand; archery: 'tis no light nor mood.  With the sai, my dear, you cannot equal me.  Perhaps sword?  Now I can see if you have practiced since I have last seen you."

"Tarius, you have been gone for close to seven months!  Of course I've improved, but if you do not believe me then I will just have to show you," she said indignantly as she stalked over to where the swords were housed.  Checking to see if any one was looking, she extracted her sword from her subspace pocket.  Tarius raised an eyebrow at the fine craftsmanship of the weapon.  The blade was made from the finest metal possible; it neither rusted nor dulled despite its age.  Legend said that the blade's metal had been found in the heart of a comet that had crashed on Venus.  The mysterious elves that lived on the turbulent planet had then crafted the magnificent weapon and gifted it only those that they thought worthy of its beauty and power.  A senshi had never wielded it before.

"May I see that?"  Tarius asked; hesitating for a moment Minako handed the blade, hilt first, to the Plutonian.  Crying out in pain, he quickly tossed it back to Minako.  "What the hell is that?" he asked, eyes wide.  "The bloody thing burned me!"

Minako easily caught the sword and quickly apologised.  "I thought that you at least might be able to handle it.  After all you are one of the greatest warriors that I know."  She sighed and hesitated before continuing, "None of the senshi or Princess Serenity can touch the sword without being burnt."

Tarius' eyes widened, "Not even the Princess?  Gods, what is it, and how can you even bare to hold it?"

"It was a gift."

"A gift?" he asked disbelievingly as he crossed his arm across his muscular chest.  "And who would gift such a powerful tool?"

"The elves."

"Aye, that explains the craftsmanship, but you know more, do you not?"

"Have you heard of the Crescent Sword?"

"Aye, it was a weapon given to the greatest of Venus' warriors, not only the greatest in battle but the purest of heart and light.  But 'tis only a legend."  Tarius said as he hefted his own sword, testing the weight.  Minako glanced at him, but said nothing.  "Miko?"

"_That_ is the Crescent Sword."

"WHAT?!" Tarius shouted, gaining them curious looks from many of the occupants of the training ground.  Much quieter, he asked "Truly?"

"Yes, at least that is what the elves told me."

"Damn, do ye know what that means?  Accordin' to them they think ye to be th' best warrior an' purest ah heart," Tarius said in actual awe.

"Evidently."

"Well, shall we find out how much you've practiced in my absence?" he led the way to one of the spare fields.  He swung his sword up into an attack position, after a moment he swung at Minako.  When she blocked it he quickly struck again.  He quickly began a rapid chain of attacks, forcing Minako into a defensive position.  Relentlessly, he struck hit after hit, but to his astonishment she blocked each hit.

Minako searched for an opening, but Tarius was not a general in the Plutonian armies for nothing, he was an expert swordsman.  Finally she saw an opening, quickly she lunged forward; she threw her body to the right to avoid his slash.  The blade narrowly missed her shoulder as she as she quickly used her hilt to hit Tarius' hand where he held his sword.  Turning quickly so that her back was to him, she then brutally drove her elbow into his stomach.

She ducked away as he sharply exhaled.  Swinging her sword up into and attack stance, she waited for him to recover himself.  After a moment he said, "Well, you learned a new trick.  Dangerous though, what would ye have done if I'd had a dagger ready for yeh?" He lunged forward.

"I'm too quick," she stated simply, grinning as she easily blocked and thrust forward, but Tarius regained his composure and blocked her hit.  They traded trusts, slashes, and blows as they parried the others attacks.  As the two fighters exchanged blows a crowd gathered, many had seen the young addition and learned to respect her skills.  Some began to comment on each of the combatants' stances, guards, attacks, techniques, and styles.  A few even placed money on the outcome of the battle.  Neither of the combatants noticed them, intent on finding the others weakness.

Still matching blow for blow, Tarius began to notice the strain on his muscles.  They had been fighting for almost half an hour and the constant blocking and striking was tiresome.  Minako didn't even look winded, as he expected she **had improved, but he knew this would happen, she _was_ going to become the leader of the Queen's senshi.  Seeing an opening, using a complex twist he slipped the tip of his sword forward to catch Minako's sword and flung it away.**

Much to Tarius' surprise, the second that her sword was pulled from her grasp she sprang backward.  Performing a back flip, she caught the sword in mid-air and landed in a crouch; she held her sword just above her head, in an attack position.  Rising in one fluid-like movement, she smoothly brought her sword so that the flat of the blade was facing her.  Placing her first two fingers upon the blade, she began to chant softly in elvish.  The blade began to glow a faint gold as she unconsciously summoned the power for an attack.

Tarius, unsure of what was happening, glanced around as the morning breeze picked up into a steady wind.  He finally sensed the power as Minako finished the last of her incantations.  He barely had enough time to throw up his own shield before she unleashed the power-ridden attack.  He felt the massive power hit him full on, and then felt as his shield buckled and failed.  The blast sent him flying backwards; when he was finally able to breathe and form coherent thoughts, he found himself about ten meters away from Minako.  Closing his eyes, he laid his head back upon the ground, which was developing a fierce ache.

He opened his eyes again when he felt a soft, cool hand upon his neck, checking for a pulse, to see a **very** worried Miko.  In a raspy voice he croaked, "I-I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" she asked, concern and guilt filling her sapphire blue eyes.

"Yeah," he sat up stiffly and groaned, "I just was not expecting that.  I guess that you really did improve, though beyond my greatest expectations."

Minako blushed and helped him up.  He moved gingerly, trying not to hurt or jar himself more.  "I'm so sorry about that.  I hate how the power can just get away from me.  I just got so lost in that fight that the power took control," she explained quietly.

"It's alright dear Miko, I'm not angry with you.  In fact, I'm rather proud."

Minako looked up, eyes wide, "You are?  Why?"

"You have easily been my best student and you have advanced and learned the sword arts faster than any I know.  It is always a proud day for the teacher when his student surpasses him," he explained as they carefully walked through the quiet, but parted crowd.  "With that talent and power no wonder the elves named you their champion and wielder of the Crescent Sword."

"I still hate how I cannot control such a power.  It's frustrating."

"Then perhaps ask someone, maybe Queen Serenity or even the princess, they each wield an awesome power," he told her as they paused to get a drink.  "They may have some advice on how to handle it."

"There is a problem with that idea: no one but the elves and now you know about my being the wielder of the sword."

He looked at her in surprise, "Why've you not told them?"

"I don't really know.  I mean it is as if something told me not to tell them."  Glancing around to make sure no one saw, she quickly deposited the weapon in to her 'pocket'.  With the powerful weapon away, she instantly felt the strain of the intense battle; she swayed and leaned against the weapons house.  "And then to top it off I feel exhausted afterwards."

"It would be best to tell them, if I hadn't figured out what you were doing then I would have been toast.  I was lucky enough to get my shield up."

Finding something rather interesting on the ground, she mumbled something incoherent.

"Pardon?"

"That wasn't a full blast.  When I realized what I was doing I tried to pull the power back in to me, but I could not get it all.  If I had the shear amount would have killed me or knocked me into a coma."  She pulled off her warm outer tunic then shyly glanced up at Tarius.

He just looked at her and shook his head, "You are one in a million, dear Miko."

~~~~~ 

Trudging up the many white marble steps, Minako glanced up when she heard a voice call her name.  The voice belonged to none other than Princess Haruka, who stood at the top of the stairs.  Hesitating at first, Minako walked up the rest of the steps to where the sandy-haired senshi of the wind stood.  "You fight well, and you seem to have an extraordinary talent.  I don't know of any senshi so new to their powers that were able to call upon their attacks with out a transformation or words.  Yet you just did, so my thoughts are that you have another power." 

Tired and sore, Minako found herself in a foul mood, "What would it matter if I did?  If I could better protect our princess then wouldn't it be a good thing?" she asked defensively.

A faint smile danced across Haruka's stern features, "I was not accusing you of anything, if anything I wanted to know if you would like to be my sparring partner sometime."

Minako couldn't keep the shock from her features.  The Uranian princess was notorious for her solitude in training; normally the only one allowed to practice with her was Princess Michiru.  Sometimes she would practise with others, like the guards today, but rarely did she approach anyone to specifically to become a sparring partner, only Michiru.  "Uh…I would be honoured."

"Good, the next time I seek a partner I shall come to find you, but if it proves to be an inconvenience then tell me" Haruka said as she began to descend the white marble steps, "You know how annoying it is to practice with someone who won't do their best."

"Yeah, it sucks," she agreed.

"I'll see you later, Princess of Venus," Haruka said as she bowed at the first landing.  Always the perfect gentleman; Haruka had better manners than most of the men at court.

~~~~~

Two weeks later Princess Minako stood in front of a full-length mirror, checking her appearance a final time.  She heard an, impatient knock and couldn't help but smile when Tarius' voice called from behind the door.  "Hurry up woman, or you'll be late for your own ascension ceremony.  If you don't want to go then tell me because I have far more import-"

Tarius froze in mid-word as Minako pulled open her chamber door, "You are far worse than my cousin.  Sheesh, talk about impatient."  Minako then noticed that Tarius hadn't moved and was staring, wide-eyed.  She shifted uncomfortably, wondering what had startled her dark friend in to complete silence.  "Is there some horrible monster behind me or something?" she half-nervously joked.

Swallowing a few times, the Plutonian managed to untie his tongue, "Wow," he breathed, "You look…so…amazing."

Minako blushed and smiled as her tall friend struggled for adequate words.  "Really?" she asked.

Regaining his composure, "Absolutely.  I have never seen such a beautiful sight in all my travels."  Colour again rose to Minako's cheeks, "I will defiantly be the envy of all the men tonight, to have the honour of being your escort."

Minako blinked once or twice.  "Thank you," she said quietly before continuing, "You look great too, and I mean that."  Tarius wore his dark Plutonian dress uniform; it consisted of jet-black trousers and a deep royal purple tunic.  The black cloak with strands of garnet woven in caused his eyes to seem shades darker and more mysterious.  With his dark complexion he was the epitome of 'tall, dark, and handsome.'  "But you are right, we are going to be late."

Offering his arm Tarius grinned, "Well, I did try to tell you that."  As they walked down the crystal and white marble corridors they slipped back into their usual, playful banter.  A few minutes later, they came to a halt before a set of grand doors where Minako's fellow senshi stood.

The dark haired fire senshi of Mars grinned, "Glad you could make it, and even on time."  Minako simply stuck her tongue out at her friend.

"I'll see you inside, alright my Miko?" Tarius asked.

"Yeah," she then blushed as Tarius gently kissed her cheek and murmured in her ear "You really are beautiful."  She watched him walk away to enter the grand ballroom where the other guests waited.  When she looked back to her friends she saw most of the gathered six with amused and curious expressions.

The mysterious senshi of time raised an eyebrow, "So you are the reason Tarius has been so anxious to return to the moon."

"Why is it you always manage to get the cute ones?" Makoto asked before grinning and continuing, "And he is **really cute."**

Laughing, Minako joined them before the doors, "We are just friends, you all know that."

"Mm-hmm," Rei said disbelievingly.  "Sure, don't even tell your friends."

Giving the Martian a mock-glare she said, "There is nothing to tell."  Looking over to Haruka, Minako asked, "How are your ribs?"

Haruka flashed a grin, "Alright, I just have to be careful with my left side.  Sudden movements are not good."  Before anything further could be said the herald signalled to them to get in to position.  The ceremony was about to begin.  Minako slipped into her place and tried to shake the feeling that something was terribly wrong.  She sighed; it was probably just nerves.

~~~~~

Inside of the massive chamber Tarius glanced around, it had been a long time since he had been inside of the Grand Ballroom.  The vaulted chamber had been constructed from pure white and silver marble.  Strategically situated throughout the room were solid pillars that supported the magnificent ceiling, inlaid in the white stone were rivulets of crystal and diamond.  The highly arched ceiling stretched up, as if to the fabled heavens.  The layers met in a massive crystal dome that refracted and reflected the light around the room in a dazzling display.  The elegant Neptunians had masterminded the extraordinary architectural feat as a gift to the first Serenity.  In order to stand the countless centuries, the Neptunians had laid spells and use long lost magicks to strengthen and preserve the treasure. Many who visited the Palace also came to view the beautiful sight, believing it to be a symbol of the Moon's power and grace.

 Tarius stood near the throne, closest to the Queen and Princess.  From here he heard the princess as she asked her mother, for the fourth time in the last five minutes, when the ceremony would begin.  For the fourth time, Queen Serenity told her daughter, "Shortly."  Looking around the room, her eyes fell upon Tarius; with a smile she beckoned him.  He took a few steps closer.  "It is good to see your face again at my court, General.  I trust your journeys on Earth were successful."

"It is good to be back, and yes, they were quite successful indeed.  We believe that the rebels were being influenced by an outside force, though we have little proof," he told her.

"That cannot be good.  Then you think that perhaps the rebellions were part of a bigger plot?"

Tarius looked up at the queen, his blood red eyes saying what he could not, "My fellow colleagues do not share the same views as I.  They believe the Earthlings to be mere savages and incapable to form large plots like the one I believe to exist.

Before the queen could reply, chaos erupted as the tranquil atmosphere was shattered.  Royalty, nobles, and guards alike scrambled for cover as an explosion shook the Place, plunging it in to darkness.  Tarius instinctually dove forward, knocking the queen and princess to the ground, shielding them from the shards that now rained down.  When he looked up he could barely make out the Queen in front of him, but the darkness was not the only problem.  Tarius' head snapped around as he heard a deep, guttural growl that came from the centre of the room, directly underneath where the crystal window had been.  As he searched for the source he was able to make out in the shadows two faintly glowing light green eyes, and they were large.  Then he heard an inhuman scream, one that he knew far too well.  A Kaivanikyar had been released in to the ballroom with a large banquet of courtiers.

~~~~~

Outside of the chamber Minako snapped her head up at the sound of the explosion that was followed by the shattering glass and crystal.  She barely looked at the others before she heard the blood-curdling screech that the creature in the ballroom emitted.  Minako bolted towards the grand doors seconds ahead of the others; she furiously thrust aside the massive doors and stepped into the darkness.  "Rei, can you get us some light?" she quickly asked.

"Sure thing," Rei said before summoning her power; torches throughout the chamber flared to life.

"Good jo-" Minako stopped in mid-word as she saw the massive creature in the centre of the room just as it lunged forward to snap a lord from Earth up into its jaws.  The thing was absolutely enormous and beyond ugly.  Almost six meters tall the creature had four long muscular arms and two short powerful legs that looked as if they had been made for jumping and leaping.  Each of the four hands had six fingers, all very long and ending in 20 centimetre claws, two of them acting as thumbs.  The claws were sharp and wicked looking, perfect for tearing and shredding.  Maliciously and almost playfully, the beast threw the ill-fated man up into the air.  The senshi and couriers watched in captivated horror as the beast then leaped up into the air to snatch the man into its jaws and devour him in a fury of gnashing teeth.  Blood dribbled over the creatures jaw to mix with the thick drool that accumulated on its chin; a large blob of the think reddish mixture fell to the ground with a sickening in _plop._  Minako snapped out of her trance-like state and pulled out her henshin wand and called the words to transform.  "VENUS STAR POWER, MAKE UP!!" she shouted.  The other senshi quickly followed suit:

"NEPTUNE STAR POWER-"

"MARS STAR POWER-"

"MERCURY STAR POWER-"

"URANUS STAR POWER-"

 "JUPITER STAR POWER-"

"-MAKE UP!!"  Many of the people assembled shielded their eyes at the rush of light and power that accompanied the transformations; the kaivanikyar tried to cower at the sudden light.  Sailor Pluto stood watching the beast, having already been in senshi form, she too had encountered a kaivanikyar in the past.  They were next to impossible to kill and she had almost lost her life in the battle.  Taking her eyes off the creature momentarily to look at the others, she advised "Be very careful, though the kaivanikyar is not intelligent it is extremely powerful and dangerous."

"A what?" Sailor Jupiter asked, grimacing as the creature seized a Mercurian woman and flung her against a wall with a nauseating crunch.

"A kaivanikyar, a beast not of this galaxy.  It is semi-sensitive to light but has near-impenetrable skin, the last time I fought one of these things I had to resort to brute force because it has few weaknesses," Pluto said, eyeing the monster again.  "What ever you do, don't let it get a hold of you or hit you with its tail, the barbs are highly poisonous."

"Great, couldn't be easy could it?" Sailor Venus muttered, louder she said to the others, "Lets see if we can surround it and confuse it.  Mercury, stay out of reach and try and find something we can use against it.  Mars, lets see if he is just sensitive to light or fire too.  Everybody else…lets kill it before it eats any more people.  We will let the guards get everybody out.  Pluto, is there anything else you can tell us about this thing?"

The senshi spread out and began to surround the creature, with Mercury pulling back and beginning to scan it with her mini computer.  Sailor Mars steeled herself for a hard battle before slipping in to position just behind the kaivanikyar, "FIRE SOUL!!" she cried, calling upon her first attack.  The creature whirled its massive head with now bloodstained teeth that jutted out in all directions around to look at Sailor Mars; it seemed to consider what kind of threat this little thing posed before opening its great maw of a mouth, the disgusting and sticky saliva dripping everywhere.  Mars was able to see the long nasty-looking teeth before the creature reared up and spit its own flame at her.  She barely had enough time to throw herself out of the way before the white-hot flame scorched the spot where she had been just a second before.  She looked over at Sailor Venus, "Well, we know it's not sensitive to fire."

Sailor Jupiter gave a short laugh, "We noticed.  SUPREME THUNDER!" she shouted releasing her own attack.  The blast of electricity caught the kaivanikyar in the chest, knocking it back a step.  The creature turned its lime green eyes to Jupiter; it let out a terrifying roar and launched itself at thunder senshi.  Jupiter's eyes widened for a moment before she sprang backward.

"Jupiter, look out for the tail!" Venus screamed as the creature ceased its charge and spun around to swing its tail at Jupiter.  Jupiter barely ducked the swipe before the beast swung one of its muscular arms at her; it caught her in the stomach and threw her in to the solid wall.  The marble cracked and broke off in flakes from the force of Jupiter's impact, she slid down the wall to the ground and did not stir.

"NO!!," Mercury screamed, "MAKOTO!"  She dashed from where she had previously stood to where the thunder senshi lay, unmoving.  Intent only on reaching Jupiter, Mercury did not see the kaivanikyar as it lashed out with its tail to attack the small water senshi.

As Sailor Venus watched the events seemed to happen in slow motion: Sailor Neptune cried out to Mercury and Sailor Mars threw another attack at the beast.  Mercury heard the warning but couldn't get out of the way quick enough, Sailor Uranus, closest to Mercury, dived forward and slammed her body in to Mercury's, knocking her out of the way.  The barbed tail seemed to barely miss them as it lashed over them.  At the same moment Sailor Venus threw herself in front of the creature, aiming for its eye she shouted, "Crescent beam!"  The strong golden beam hit its mark and caused the kaivanikyar to stagger backwards, clutching its head, and screamed in pain and rage.

Sailor Venus now stood in front of the creature ready to hit it again as she guarded Mercury and Uranus from an attack, Uranus helped the younger senshi over to where Jupiter lay, still unconscious.  Mercury dropped to her knees and quickly began to check Jupiter for serious injuries; from where she stood Venus heard the senshi of thunder groan as she regained consciousness.  Venus glared at the creature and prepared another attack when a voice called out, "Halt!"  Surprisingly enough, all action stopped, especially the beast; Venus looked up to see a tall, beautiful woman float into the room through the hole that was once the crystal dome.  Her long black hair was streaked with silver, though not from age for she seemed quite young.  Her piercing yellow, slitted eyes roamed around the room, stopping on each of the senshi in turn but only for a few moments, eventually they came to rest upon Queen Serenity and the princess.  "Ah, and so we meet at last.  Queen Serenity," the woman said with a slight bow and wicked smile.

Queen Serenity stood from where Tarius had caused her and her daughter to fall in the initial attack, "Who are you, and what do you mean by causing so much terror?" the queen demanded.

The woman laughed, "Still so demanding after all these centuries?  I see some things are truly passed down from one ruler to the next.  I am called Jennkyra, _Lady_ Jennkyra," a look of hatred replaced the smile, "and I am here…to kill you all." 

Before Queen Serenity reply, Venus glared and said, "Well, you won't find us easy to kill."

"Ah, you must be one of the senshi," she paused for a moment and examined Sailor Venus, "Venus, the leader of the Queen's senshi, if I am not mistaken."

Still glaring, yet not taking too much of her attention off of the kaivanikyar - which still had not moved, she replied, "You are correct in both assumptions."

"You can save me a lot of time and yourself a lot of pain and eventual death by joining my army now.  A warrior of such…talents would be very valuable indeed," the woman offered, promptly ignoring the Queen and princess.

"I speak for all of the senshi.  Our loyalty's shall never change, we will protect our queen and princess 'til our last breaths, and beyond."

"Such a pity, but loyalty is something I do understand."  The woman watched Sailor Venus for another moment before turning back to the Queen, "Now, _you_ have a choice: surrender now or die in the coming battle.  It is your choice when you wish to die."

Queen Serenity straightened, "It is not the way of the Moon Kingdom to simply surrender whenever a new threat arises, as Sailor Venus said before, we will not die easily, nor shall we _ever_ surrender."

"Hmmm, the same stubbornness as before, as I figured," Jennkyra smiled wickedly before continuing.  "Then you shall all find your deaths upon the blades of my warriors, that is if you survive my pet here."  With shimmer the woman was gone, and the creature was released from its hold and promptly resumed its feast of courtiers.

Sailor Jupiter lost no time in returning to the battle, though much more cautious this time, "SUPREME THUNDER DRAGON!!!"

"Deep submerge!!" Neptune quickly followed Jupiter's attack with her own, the large wave rose behind her as the aquamarine ball of energy formed in front of her hands.  Her attack hit the same mark as Jupiter's, yet it did not seem to phase the monster very much.

Sailor Uranus growled in frustration, "Damn it!  None of our attacks seem to effect it much; Mercury, have you found a weakness yet?"  She raised her hand and summoned her attack, "WORLD SHAKING!"  The golden ball of energy flew forward to hit the creature in the head; close to her, Uranus heard a whispered attack as Sailor Pluto released her own.  Both attacks hit simultaneously and knocked the kaivanikyar back a few paces.  Uranus looked over at the tall senshi of time, "Pluto, do you know how we can kill this thing?"

"Brute force, if we can, hit it with physical attacks.  The skin is extremely hard but the joints still have weaknesses."

The small senshi of Mercury looked up from her calculations, "I'm sorry, I can't find anything.  I think Pluto is correct, that brute force is the best option."

"Right, physical."  Uranus glanced around the room trying to locate a weapon; her eyes fell upon the corpse of a half-eaten and chard courtier.  "Neptune cover me," she yelled as she dove forward.  Tucking herself in to a ball she rolled under the creature to where the body lay; she dislodged the blade from the bloody grasp it was still held in.  Wincing at the pain in her back she quickly pushed it out of her mind; not wasting the opportunity offered, Uranus thrust upwards and drove the sword in to the kaivanikyar's left hip joint.  She cursed as creature's blood dripped on to her, "You never said the blood was acidic!" she shouted and pulled the blade out and slipped away from the infuriated creature.

"I did not have the chance," Pluto replied, she then added, "Oh Uranus, the blood is acidic."

"Thanks," she replied dryly with a slight smile.

Venus watched as each of the senshi dove forward, trying to distract the creature, but nothing seemed to work.  The beast was beyond powerful, each time a senshi tried to hit it the kaivanikyar hit them instead.  Venus' eyes widened in horror as she saw the creature once again rear on its hind legs and prepare to spit a ball of fire.  This time none of the senshi were the targets, the Queen and Princess were.  "No," she whispered.  The next events seemed to happen in slow motion, no one saw the danger to the monarchs but Venus.  _'I have to, but what if I loose control again?'_ she thought as the kaivanikyar came down with all four hands and feet on the ground in a couch, head low and ready to release the white-hot searing flames.  Sailor Venus shoved the argument out of her mind and dove forward, "Tarius, get them out of her!" she cried as she positioned herself in front of them, prepared to take the force of the attack.

Tarius' eyes widened when he realized her plan, "NO!" he screamed, "Get out of the way, Miko!"

"Protect them," he some how heard her whisper.  The other senshi cried out as the beast shot its flame at her.  Venus summoned the immense power that she had fought to keep at bay in the past, her blue eyes became tinged with gold as the power surged, still barely checked.  She began to glow an eerie golden as the air around her crackled with energy, in her right hand the Crescent Sword solidified.  She locked her golden tinged eyes with the beasts green ones before she closed them; grasping the power tightly, she felt it flood her senses and fight her control.  The golden glow began to fill more of the room as she braced herself, preparing for the hellish flames.  The senshi, Tarius, and the moon princess screamed her name as the beast shot its flames forward, directly at her.  Gritting her teeth for a moment, the senshi of Venus began to chant softly in elvish her voice steadily rising in volume until her eyes shot open, now glowing an angry golden-blue.  Using her power to convert the beast's flames in to her own energy she released the power in a concentrated pure white and golden beam.

The blast threw the surprised kaivanikyar into the wall behind it, causing some of the heavy marble to crash down upon it.  Those still in the room watched in awe and astonishment at what had just happened, Sailor Pluto whispered breathlessly, "The Guardian of Venus, there has not been a Guardian seen for the last seven and half centuries."

"The Guardian of Venus?" Sailor Mars asked but Pluto was unable to answer because the kaivanikyar rose again.  It staggered, unbalanced from the loss of one of its arms; the blast had mostly hit the creature on its shoulder and had stripped away much of the flesh there and on its chest.  It looked at Sailor Venus with more caution then before, clearly understanding that she _was_ a force to be reckoned with.

"It is time we finished this," Sailor Venus said quietly, her voice sounded different to the senshi, almost otherworldly.  Her blue eyes were still aglow and the surrounding air still crackling around her, "Everyone, get a weapon and attack, the joints are its weakness so go for the neck, elbows, knees, hips, and shoulders.  Those who don't have a weapon, cover the rest of us.  Tarius get the Queen and Princess out of here now."  Tarius didn't argue as he helped the monarchs up and ushered them out of the now ruined ballroom.  "As I said, let's finish this.  Attack without warning, don't give it a chance to have a go at us."

"Right, lets show this ugly thing why we are the senshi," Jupiter said as she picked up a discarded glaive, abandoned by one of the chard guards.

Nearby, Mars pulled a lance out of the rubble, "Pluto, cover me?"  The dark senshi nodded.

Sailor Venus sprang from where she stood as the kaivanikyar swung its tail around, flipping she landed carefully on the creatures leathery back, avoiding the long spines that protruded from its skin.  Switching her grip on her sword she drove it in to the beasts back at the base of its neck.  Furious, it reared, exposing its vulnerable undersides; Uranus, Jupiter and Mars took the offered chance, each striking a blow.  The beast then turned and bucked trying to dislodge Venus, but she held fast.  Wrenching her sword out of the beast she plunged it in again, this time higher up on the neck.  The blade still in the beast she wrenched the blade to the side, inflicting more damage; as blood seeped out of the wounds Venus allowed herself to be flung off.  She landed in a crouch close to where the senshi of Neptune stood.

The power and energy still flowed freely through her veins like liquid fire, burning away any fatigue or weariness that she might have felt.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw a cloaked figure drop into the room through the hole, she watched the figure closely.  As if sensing Venus' scrutiny the figure looked over to her; running the short distance to where Venus stood the figure stopped a step away and gave a short bow.  Then they reached up with one had to push back the hood, revealing someone Venus knew very well.  Eyes widening in surprise the senshi of love stared at her the young woman for a moment, "Arica?" she asked, confused at seeing her cousin standing before her.

"Aye, 'tis good to see you, though I wish under better circumstances," the blond haired young woman replied with a smile.  "I was sent here to help you, it looks like you could use the help, dear cousin."

"At this moment I will not refuse any help, though I wonder why you were sent," Venus mused for a moment before concentrating once again on the kaivanikyar.

"Because I am best suited to, as you shall soon see."  Arica turned her attention to the beast too.  She reached up and unfastened her cloak and let it fall to reveal a ninja style uniform.  The darkish golden material was loose enough not to hinder any movement, though it was extremely strong.  Strong gauntlets with an ancient symbol that Sailor Venus recognized, it signified the element of wind; a head band across Arica's forehead held another symbol of her element.  Venus then saw that Arica had a quiver full of arrows and her bow in her left hand.  "I've always told you things are always more then they seem, but we have more pressing matters."  Arica withdrew an arrow and fitted on her bow, "You remember this game from when we were kids, don't you?  I shoot you, you attack."

"Mm-hmm." Venus nodded.

"Oh, and Minako…"

Venus looked back at her taller cousin.

"Don't be afraid of the power, you were given it for a reason."  Arica turned her attention back to the beast, drew her bow and aimed; she winked first at Venus before releasing the bolt.  The arrow found its mark in the creatures left eye, another two buried themselves in the creature's throat.  Arica had always been the best archer around, never missing a mark once.

Racing forward, Venus ignored the whistling as more of her cousin's arrows found their mark; she jumped over another body and rotated her wrist, again switching her grip on the Crescent Sword.  Raising the sword above her head, she drove it into the beast's foot, effectively pinning it to the ground.  Releasing the hilt, Venus called upon another attack, "Crescent beam shower!"  The blast hit the already injured hip joint; grabbing the hilt of her sword she pulled it out of the creature's foot and danced out of the away as the beast stamped its foot in rage and pain.

Nearby, Jupiter jumped over the tail as it swung under her, she spun around and buried the blade of the glaive in to the back of the kaivanikyar's knee.  Behind her Mercury released an attack, "Shabon spray freezing."

Neptune shot her own attack again as Sailor Uranus darted forward and plunged her sword deep in to the creature's ribs.  This time expecting it, she jumped back as the corrosive blood gushed out over the sword.  Mars and Pluto followed suit, Sailor Mars gave a fierce battle cry before she drove the lance deep in to the beast's left shoulder.  The kaivanikyar backed off a few paces, its breathing becoming laboured.  The senshi pulled back to regroup, many of them shot curious looks at Arica.  Quietly Venus said, "Alright, we've weakened it now it's time we kill it."

"Defiantly," Sailor Mars agreed, but then glanced over at where Arica stood, her bow drawn taunt, "Not to be rude and all, but who is she?"

"She's a friend, I'll explain later.  Let's finish this now," Sailor Venus answered.

She had just begun to outline a brief plan of attack when Arica's voice called to her.  "I hate to break up you little pow-wow, but it is a bit angry and is looking for someone to bite."  She let the arrow fly, it struck the in the forehead, the arrow actually piercing the armour like skin.  Arica lowered her bow and in elvish said, "Ahkymia."  The arrow glowed faintly before exploding; black blood flew in all directions.  Arica growled in disgust as blood splattered on her and quickly wiped it off of her cheek.  Quickly turning her attention to the tail that was lashing around the room angrily, she saw one of the Moon guards still in the room get in the way of the appendage and was flung against a marble pillar.  Five stains of blood blossomed on his chest where the barbs had stabbed the man.  "Minako, it's best if we deal with that damned tail before anyone else is impaled on it."

Sailor Venus nodded, "Same plan as before guys, swift attacks, but everyone hits this time.  Arica, cover us?"

"Of course," Arica grinned and aimed another arrow.

Uranus jumped forward and pulled another weapon from the wreckage of the room, again a sword; shooting forward, she used her momentum to slice straight through one of the creature's wrists, severing the hand.  The kaivanikyar, now blind with fury, swung its formidable tail at the wind senshi, but this time Sailor Venus expected it.  Leaping in to the path of the creature's tail, she allowed the power the flow freely through her.  Once again the room began to fill with a pale golden light, Venus began the incantations for her attack as the kaivanikyar lashed its tail at her again.  She placed her first two fingers upon the blade, channelling the energies to the sword; the sword began to hum from the power that it was receiving.  Venus swore she heard it sing.  She _felt_ the tail come towards her; waiting until the last moment, she swung her sword up and in one swift move she severed the kaivanikyar's barbed tail.

Across the room as Sailor Mars concentrated on calling upon another attack, the kaivanikyar swung around with a massive hand, trying to kill the fire senshi.  Near her Arica saw the beast's intent out of the corner of her eye, when she realized that Mars didn't know of the danger she dashed towards her.  Using her shoulder, Arica shoved Mars out of the way and ducked the swipe from the beast.  Unfortunately, she didn't see the other arm behind her as the kaivanikyar seized her.  Gasping for breath as the creature clenched its fist, driving the air out of Arica's lungs, the young woman fought to free her hands, but the beast's grip was far to strong.  As the beast continued to crush her in its powerful grip she felt as her ribs began to fracture under the stress.

When Sailor Venus saw that the beast had hold of her cousin, she leaped in to the air; flipping, she landed once again on the creature, this time however, she drove the blade deep in to the creature's skull.  Howling in rage, the beast flung Arica at the wall where she hit it with a nauseating crunch.  From atop the beast Venus was able to hear her cousin groan, out of the corner of her eye she saw Sailor Mercury start towards the young woman.  Mercury got no more than four paces before Arica pushed herself to her hands and knees, then her feet.  She looked towards the creature with a cold glare; Venus snapped her attention back to the kaivanikyar and its attempts to dislodge her.  Yanking the sword free again, she jumped to the beasts back and slashed the white-hot blade across the thick skin, flaying its shoulder.  

She then allowed the beast to again throw her off, but before she could evade it, the beast snatched her.  Sailor Venus' eyes widened when the beast brought her to its mouth, intending to make a meal out of her.  The creature opened its massive jaws, the teeth were razor sharp and horrible looking.  As the beast brought her closer she heard Arica shout out to her; turning, she saw her cousin throw a spear to her.  How the spear was going to be any more effective than her sword Venus didn't know, but she caught it anyway.  As the beast out her in its mouth, Venus realized her cousin's idea.  Quickly plunging the Crescent Sword into the beast's lower jaw, Sailor Venus then drove the spear in to the roof of the kaivanikyar's mouth.  Now when the beast tried to close its mouth it was unable to.

Watching the events with apprehension, Arica dropped to a crouch and retrieved her bow.  From her crouch she leaped up; landing on the beasts head she quickly fitted an arrow on to her bow.  Taking a moment she whispered incantations in elvish, infusing the bolt with her magick.  She drew the string back passed her ear, the bow bending with the tension, and aimed directly at the skull of the beast.  Inside of the beast's mouth Sailor Venus grimaced at the saliva and blood; in a crouch she summoned the power for an attack, but before she released it she laced her senshi magick with her newer.  "Crescent Beam!"

The pure golden beam shot straight upwards, obliterating any trace of what had been the beast's brain; at the same moment Arica's arrow shot through the creature's skull and exploded.  The blast knocked the young woman flying; she landed a few meters away.  Looking up in time, she saw the beast fall to the ground in a bloody heap; to her happiness she saw Sailor Venus carefully avoid the jagged teeth as she climbed out of the kaivanikyar's mouth.  Though she was now coated in the sticky saliva and blood, the senshi quickly pulled her into hugs.

When she detangled herself from them, she ran to where Arica was standing up; she quickly offered a hand up to the girl, who took it gratefully.  As the two looked at each other, the other senshi began to notice how they looked very much alike.  The two continued to stare at each other before Arica reached over and pulled her cousin into a hug.  "It has been a while," Venus finally said.

"Aye, too long," her cousin agreed.  "But I have not come here for pleasure," she said half-pulling out of the embrace. "Though it does my heart well to see you again."  Before Venus could reply Arica snarled and whipped her bow up, an arrow sighted even before she knew what was happening.  She turned to see what had angered her normally agreeable cousin, Jennkyra had returned.  "Lady Jennkyra, don't you have any manners any more?  When someone kills you it is normally considered common courtesy to stay that way," Arica growled

The yellow eyed woman glared at Arica, "Not one of you again.  Didn't _you_ die out?"

Stepping in front of the others, Arica grinned but did not lower her bow nor take her eyes off of Jennkyra.  "You should know that we always shall exist."

"You Guardian's, as you call yourselves, have been a hindrance for far too long.  I shall take particular pleasure in watching you beg for your soul," the woman spat.  Arica's only reply was a short laugh, which only infuriated the woman further.  "You call yourself Kazu, don't you?  The Guardian of the element of Wind."

"Aye, that I do."  Arica answered Jennkyra.

"Then I shall remember you, Kazu.  You _will_ beg for my mercy."

"The Tryad will fail again, you know it as well as I.  Your revenge will fail, just as your pet did."

"Oh, but we won't fail, that I assure you of," turning her gaze to Venus she said, "My offer is still open if you wish to accept."

"Go to hell," was the growled reply.

"Tsk.  Tsk.  Temper, my little Venus, temper.  Fine, you've had your chance, you will die with your friends."  Without warning an arrow shot past Jennkyra, it barely grazed her skin but her eyes flashed with barely contained rage.

"I have tired of your words, witch, now leave, for next time I will hit you.  I assure you, I **never miss," Arica said with a slight grin.**

Lady Jennkyra growled something at Arica in an unrecognisable language, though it seemed not to faze her in the slightest.  "We shall meet again you insolent cur."  With that said, Lady Jennkyra vanished from all sight.

~~~~~

Ten minutes later, all of the senshi stood near to the corpse of the kaivanikyar; the queen now re-entered the ballroom with her daughter and Tarius.  She surveyed the wreckage sadly, though she smiled when she saw all of the senshi alive, even if they were a little ragged looking.  All of them had obtained cuts, bruises, burns, and bumps; none of them had escaped unscathed.  When her eyes same to rest on Sailor Venus she saw the leader of her guard with an arm around her cousin, Arica - or Kazu as she had been called - her eyes widened, "Lady Arica?"

Arica turned to see the queen, she bowed to Serenity, "It is good to see that you are uninjured, your majesty."

"If I may ask, why are you on the Moon, when did you arrive?" Queen Serenity asked.

"I came here because of my duties, I am sure you know of my…calling," she replied.  "As the Wind guardian I protect life, no matter where it is.  I may spend much of my time on Earth, but I will always protect the innocent."

"Of course, your presence here was just unexpected.  We have heard so little of you since you left for Earth to train as a Guardian, though your selection came as a bit of a surprise.  I was never aware that anyone not of Earth was ever chosen for those duties."

The assembled senshi exchanged puzzled looks; they all heard stories of Arica, she was Minako's closets cousin.  The two were very much alike in looks and personality and nearly inseparable when they were children, when Minako was chosen as a senshi the two had unhappily parted, being more sisters than cousins.  Though Minako would entertain all of them with stories of Arica's mischief and adventures that she enticed her cousin into, they had never actually met the girl.  The girl in question blushed and looked down for a moment, she glanced over at her cousin for a moment before answering the Queen, "As I keep telling, my dear Minako, things are not always as they seem.  My mother was of Earth"

A look of surprise crossed the queen's features; rarely, did anyone from the other planets visit the blue and green planet on a regular basis.  Even then, it was rare for any relationship between the two peoples to survive because of the travel restrictions placed on the Earthlings.

Seeing the Queen's bewilderment Arica smiled, "My parents rarely listened to the rules and my father spent much time on Earth.  But that is not why I have come."  Arica let the smile fall from her features,  "The galaxy, and probably the universe is in great peril, the woman that you just met tonight is only a third of your problems.  She is part of what is known as the Tryad; Princess Setsuna, do you remember learning anything of the Tryad?"

Sailor Pluto frowned for a moment before answering, "Vaguely, what I did recognize was the kaivanikyar."

"Mmm, I thought so.  It must have been too long since they were here last, though that is not a bad thing."

Queen Serenity asked Arica, "What do you know of this Tryad?"

Closing her eyes for a moment Arica frowned and took a deep breath, then winced at the pain in her ribs, "I must first ask one thing of you."

"Ask what ever you may, from what I see you helped us in this battle," the Queen answered.

A smile flickered across her features, "Then I simply ask to sit down, I think that we could all use a seat at the moment."  The other senshi nodded in agreement.

"Of course!  How foolish of me to forget?" the queen exclaimed.  "Come, I believe the briefing room will be adequate enough for our purposes."

~~~~~

Five minutes later, the senshi, Arica, and Tarius all thankfully sank into chairs around the table.  Arica let her head rest upon the back of the chair and closed her eyes, concentrating only on breathing for the moment.  She felt a cool hand on her forehead and opened her eyes to see Minako, or rather Sailor Venus watching her, concern in her golden-blue eyes.  "Hello, Ishtar," she said quietly, when she spared a glance around the room she saw that all but Venus had de-transformed.  "I trust you are watching over Minako?"

"Of course, she and I are the same person, or so you keep telling us," Ishtar/Minako answered with a wry smile.  "She still resists me though," she added quietly.

"It is because the power still frightens her, she is scared of misusing it.  Anyway, you should power-down and put away that bloody sword of yours," Arica said with a tired grin.

"Maybe you are right, Kazu."  Closing her eyes Ishtar slipped away from Minako and Sailor Venus.  The Crescent Sword returned to Minako's subspace pocket, the golden aura around Sailor Venus faded, and the gold left her eyes.  With the sudden loss of the energy, the exertions of the battle caught up with Minako and she was unable to keep her transformation, she wavered and fell forward, completely exhausted.  She felt strong arms slip around her and pull her up, Minako looked up to see her cousin smiling at her; Arica pulled her up and kept a hold of her.  Minako sighed and leaned into the embrace.  "I hate that so much, after every battle I am exhausted," she then added, "I'm so glad to see you again."

"I know, don't worry you will become accustomed to the power in time."  Arica hugged Minako tight for a moment before releasing her.  "But at the moment we have pressing business."  Minako slipped into the chair beside Arica and then looked up to see everyone looking in their direction, she looked down for a moment.  "You all probably have many questions, but I must ask you hold them until I finish with my tales."

Arica looked at the others to see if any objected, when she saw that none did she began her stories, "First, you are probably wandering who I am; I am Arica, Minako's cousin.  What few people know is that I also go by another name.  Setsuna, do you remember the Guardians of the elements?"

The Plutonian frowned for a moment before answering, "Yes.  I know very little of them because their actions are shrouded in mystery.  They are extremely secretive and keep to themselves; they fight for good using the power of six elements.  As I said, so little is known."

Arica considered this before continuing, "I thought that you knew more of us, I never thought that you were kept from so much of our activities."  She paused for a moment, "We do fight evil, and we do fight it with the elements.  Our powers and abilities come from six different elements that are derived from the four arcane elements: air, fire, earth, and water.  I 'share' the element of air with my partner, the wind is my ally while my partners is the weather.  Our leader fights with the earth, another with fire, and the last two fight with water and ice.  I know that this is confusing but I will answer any questions you have in a moment."  She paused and let the information sink in before continuing, "You are also probably wondering why I referred to Minako as 'Ishtar,' and where the powers that she exhibited came from.  On Venus there is a legend about an elf warrior, she forged a sword from metal that she found in the heart of a comet.  She used the sword in the great civil war that raged on Venus so many centuries ago.  When the war ended and peace was established between the humans and the elves and Ishtar passed on she declared that her sword would only be given to the most worthy warrior of Venus.  The Crescent Sword symbolised her power and strength.  The wielder of the sword would not only have to be the best warrior but also the purest of heart."

The other senshi listened in amazement, Makoto asked Arica, "And Minako was given the sword?"

"Yes, and event that caused much commotion on our world for a senshi has never wielded the sword or Ishtar's power before.  Many felt that if one being had that much power and was loyal to the Moon then the balance of power would be shifted."  When she saw the confused look on the thunder senshi's face she explained.  "Maybe I didn't explain it properly.  Many see Sailor Venus and Ishtar as the two sides of Venus; each warrior fought for good but they each had a different mission.  As you know it is Sailor Venus' mission to protect her Queen and Princess above all else, but for the Guardian of Venus, as some call her, her mission is to protect Venus.  Thus having two different missions, both of which could impede the other."  Arica waited until the others seemed to absorb the information.  "The Guardian of Venus or the Champion of the Elves is normally called Ishtar because sometimes Ishtar's…spirit would influence them, she would guide them.  After all they would have her memories and abilities, Ishtar would help the new wielder of the sword adapt to the power and teach her."

"So then it wasn't Minako in the room fighting the kaivanikyar?" Ami asked.

"Oh, it was me alright," Minako, said quietly, "Ishtar…well, she almost fought through me, she…" Minako struggled for the right words.  "She guided me, she let me know how to use her powers."

"Minako will never loose herself to Ishtar, that is something she hasn't seemed to learn yet," Arica said with a pointed look at her cousin who blushed causing some of the others to smile and laugh lightly.  "Ishtar simply…observes and directs sometimes.  She does this so that Minako will not die."

"My problem is the bloody sword."

Arica couldn't help but laugh.   "You are just not used to the power, you will adapt to it in time.  The sword has an essence of its own you know," she told her younger cousin.

Setsuna straightened with interest, "An essence?"

Arica smiled again, "Yes, all powerful, old weapons do.  I think that the Space Sword might even," she said glancing over at Haruka.  "I am not positive on that though because I am not familiar with the weapon.  I know that the Silence Glaive does have an essence, a very powerful one at that."  At the mention of the sleeping senshi's weapon the room grew quiet, Arica glanced around then continued, "Which brings me to my last point, the Tryad."

"What does Saturn have to do with the Tryad?"  Setsuna interrupted.

 "That will become clear in a moment.  The last time this galaxy saw the Tryad all life was nearly destroyed or enslaved.  They are an enemy like no other: they seem to have no weaknesses, have a massive, nearly undefeatable army, and are relentless.  The leaders themselves are worse then their army, each has their own strength; you saw Jennkyra tonight, I must say that she is the worst of them."  Arica paused to take a breath and let them absorb the information, while she did this she looked at each person in turn.  Setsuna seemed pensive almost worried, Michiru also looked thoughtful, though not as much.  Beside the Neptunian, Haruka sat looking quite pale, but something told Arica that it was not her words that had produced this.  She closed her eyes and felt for her magick, it responded quickly; upon inspection Haruka's blue aura was polluted by a sickly green.  Arica opened her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, wincing when she hit a cut that she had gotten from the fight.  She wondered what to do, that pale green colour in the Uranian's aura was not good.

Arica was snapped out of her thoughts when Queen Serenity asked, "Do you know what they want, besides to kill us.  The woman, Jennkyra, seems to bear a grudge against us…me."

"That is because the last time she was here you defeated her, well, a former incarnation of you, if you will."

Princess Serenity sat up straighter and spook for the first time, "Do you know how?"

Arica smiled at the enthusiastic princess, "Yes, but it is a solution that I do not think will be well met."

The smile faded and the Queen asked, "Why is that?"

"Because it involves someone that has been forbidden to awaken unless all hope is gone."

"Sailor Saturn," Michiru said quietly.

"Yes, the last time the Tryad was in the galaxy we lost the battle and Saturn had to be called upon to stop the evil from taking Earth and the solar system.  Evil wants this galaxy because it is considered a 'gateway.'  In this galaxy there is so much magick and energy that evil can't help but be drawn to it."

"If Saturn ended the world then why does the Tryad still exist, and how do you know all of what happened?" Rei asked.

"We think that the Tryad found out what was happening and managed to escape.  Their army was destroyed but not them.  We know all of this because we carry the memories of the past guardians, when Saturn reset the cycle of life she merely restarted the physical realm not the spiritual.  Our souls were unaffected by it, in time we regained our memories of what had happened.  We had hoped that Jennkyra and the other two had not survived, unfortunately, we were not so lucky," Arica replied.

"Because you seem to know more about this foe, Lady Arica, what do you think should be done?" Queen Serenity asked.

Taking a deep breath first, Arica looked at the Queen, "My reason for being sent to the Moon was to advise you to awaken Saturn.  If you would not then I was to meet up with Tempest, my partner, and continue on to Saturn.  We hope that you will allow this journey because if we fail, and by we I mean the galaxy, then evil will have gained the means to enslave every race and world in the universe.  With Sailor Saturn there is hope that the Tryad may be destroyed once and for all; if not then hopefully we will learn from our mistakes and defeat them the next time."

Queen Serenity leaned back in her chair and thought about what Arica had said.  The young woman had a point, Serenity admitted to herself, but was it best to destroy everything?  But if evil got the magicks of the galaxy then all life would be lost, it was the best plan.  "You had better prepare for the journey then, I assume you want to leave right away?" the Queen said to Arica.

Relief flooded Arica, she had been worried that the Queen would object, "I do, before I do though, I have a question.  Which of the senshi do you want to go on the journey?"

Queen Serenity smiled, "I actually want them all to." Before any of the senshi could object she held up her hand and addressed them.  "My daughter will be accompanying Lady Arica and I would prefer that she be protected."

"Is it so wise to send the Princess to Saturn, we do now know what awaits them on Saturn," Tarius asked the Queen.

"Serenity must go, Saturn is to be her senshi.  I do worry that something may happen but that is why I want the senshi to go too," she replied.

The young princess looked to her mother, "You want me to go so that I will know her, you hope that we won't need to use her and that she will become one of my guard, don't you?"

Queen Serenity smiled and reached out to touch her daughters arm, "And Luna says that you don't listen to your studies."  She then addressed the others, "I think it would be best that you all leave as soon as you are able to, though after you all have received some medical attention, and I want know arguments."  The last comment was punctuated by looks to both Rei and Haruka.

~~~~~

A few hours later the seven senshi, Arica, and Princess Serenity stood before the Queen and Tarius, ready to depart for the forbidden planet.  "Do not worry about me, Tarius and my guard will protect me until your safe return," She told them.

The young princess of the Moon struggled to keep a tight reign on her emotions; she lost the battle and threw herself into her mother's arms. "I don't want you to be left alone, what if that horrible woman comes back?" she asked, tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Then my guard will do their best to defeat her, do not worry my child, I will be here when you return," her mother said soothingly.

"Promise?"

"Of course," she said with a smile, "Now you had better go.  The sooner you awaken Saturn the sooner you may return.  Stay safe Serenity," the queen said, releasing her daughter with a smile.

The girl, no, young woman turned to board the ship that would take her and the senshi to Saturn, with the others.  Arica stayed behind for a moment.  She swallowed before speaking, "I cannot thank you enough for allowing this.  I will protect her with my life and return her safely to you," she vowed.  Arica gave a short bow and turned to walk up the ramp of the ship.

Tarius led the Queen back off of the field, "I am sure they will return, all very safe."  He told her, offering his arm to her.  She took it and nodded, "I hope so, for all our sakes."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Wow.  12,551 words, and this is only the first chapter.  Oooh, I think I surprised myself.  This was supposed to be a short fluffy little fic to get me started on this pairing, yet it has grown in to a bloody monster.  Anyway it is 12:02 in the morning and I should post this and go to bed, 'cause of that evil place they always make me go (school).  Please tell me what you think.  Too long?  Too short?  Anything?


	2. Chapter 2 Death as of 180403 part 1

seTitle: Cold Inferno Author: Ayrki Email: ayrki@yahoo.com Chapter or part: Two~Death (Keep in mind this is part one) Disclaimer: Not mine. Nope. No way. No matter how much I plead or whine or beg. Not that I would want it. My own little worlds that I create are far too much fun for me now! Author's Notes: Now the fun part. Okay, I call it the Moon Kingdom because it seems rather odd to refer to a place as an era. I'm sure many of you have read various stories in which the past incarnations of the senshi have had different names. Most people tend to use the different forms of the Goddess of the planets or their abilities (ie: Venus- Aphrodite, Isis, Inanna, Freya, and, of course, Ishtar). I started out using the 20th century names because it was just much more convenient for me because for me choosing names is a very long, time consuming process because they have to be perfect for me. In the end, however, I did find a way of explaining it, which you will find in this part.  
  
Okay, I am going to be taking the quick way out in this one. I will be attaching a file (somewhere, sometime) giving a full background on the mythology involved in this story. An understanding of it is not essential by any means as I mostly just based it upon the myths. The main mythology you will find in this story is Babylonian. Since I was little and I first learned of Babylon, I have been entranced and intrigued by it. Only in the last few months have I become to understand how vast the mythology and tales really are. Most of the mythology that I have used in this part is in the telling of the Ishtar myth. What I really took was names of characters and based them on the gods/characters to some degree. The seven tasks that Arica mentions are actually based upon the seven gates of the Underworld that Ishtar encountered when she went to confront Ereshkigal. Instead of having Ishtar lose an article of clothing at each gate I made them into tasks that Jena and Ishtar would have to complete. As much fun as it would have been to have in there, it would totally change the context of this thing!! ( Could have been fun though.  
  
Some of you might wonder why I chose Jena, but I cannot answer why. She just kind of came to be and so she stayed, much like many of my other characters. The ancient elvish is my own and came from my own little fractured mind. I don't know Tolkien's elvish and so I just made my own. And the last bit, my view of Minako has been greatly influenced by Tim Nolan's works, which I greatly recommend to anybody and everybody. That man can write! Anyway, I am ending this now, and hopefully posting and then running off since it is 1 in the bloody morning and I have school. UGH!!! Please drop me a line and tell me what you think of this.  
  
~~~ Death ~~~  
  
Minako waited as Arica closed the hatch and withdrew the boarding ramp. "That's why you came to the Moon, isn't it? To tell us that you would awaken Saturn with or without permission or help," she asked.  
  
Arica sighed, "Unfortunately, yes." The two walked to the cabin where the others sat, waiting for them to depart, "I hoped that it would be with the Queen's blessing, but if not then I would fulfil my mission to awaken Saturn. No matter what."  
  
"How can you do that?" Haruka asked, as Arica sat in the pilot's chair. The Uranian still had a pale look to her, though you had to be looking for it to notice it. "Don't you serve the Queen?"  
  
"I don't serve the Moon Kingdom or Queen Serenity," Arica answered as she began the pre-flight procedures. "That is what people have never fully understood about us; we serve a higher power, we protect all life. Sometimes we are called upon to simply punish the guilty, or to avenge the innocents who are murdered by wars. We come from so much more than any know." She input the commands to lift the ship off. Once in space she set a course for Saturn then turned back to face the others. "Life is made up from four cardinal elements or forces: air, water, earth, and fire; these forces 'pre-date' any deities or gods. We represent these forces, you might call us avatars."  
  
As Arica finished typing in the commands Minako asked, "Who exactly is 'we'?"  
  
Arica looked over at her cousin, "I don't know if it really matters. We serve good and fight for it, that is what counts, right? Besides," she gave a wry smile, "I don't know how much I can tell you, our secrecy is our greatest asset."  
  
"Then didn't making your presence known to us expose you to your enemies?" Ami asked her.  
  
Again Arica smiled, "We figured that the risk was defiantly worth it."  
  
"I suppose so," Minako smiled too, "So, why can't you tell us who 'we' are?"  
  
Arica turned toward her cousin and mock-glared, evading the question she said, "Since we are playing twenty questions and we have a few hours to kill, is there anything else you want to know?"  
  
"What else do you know about the Tryad?" Michiru asked.  
  
"Well, from what we have been able to discover we know that they come from the nearby J'kyln galaxy. In that galaxy there are three inhabitable worlds: Ajin-rourk, Sier-rourk, and Jenn-rourk. Each planet is named for its ruler and each of these rulers are a part of the Tryad. Ajinotuth is a warrior, he makes up the 'brawn' part of the Tryad; he has an unnatural strength and is a ferocious fighter. Siermalky is the mage and makes up the 'brains' of the Tryad; he studied any and all types of magick that he could and is one of the most powerful sorcerers that has ever existed. But of any of the Tryad it is Jennkyra that is the worst; even though Ajinotuth has never been defeated, even though Siermalky is an unmatched magician, Jennkyra is the worst. She is.horrible." The last word came out in a whisper, and Arica silver eyes unfocused as she became lost in thought, or memory.  
  
Minako touch her arm in concern; Arica rarely let things affect her and was always in the best of spirits, even when all seemed lost. "What did she do?" Minako asked, "It had to have been bad, whatever it was."  
  
"She killed me."  
  
"What? How can that be? You are right here with us," Makoto asked incredulously.  
  
Arica shook her head, "Not in this life, in another. The last time she was in our galaxy."  
  
"Oh," the thunder senshi nodded in understanding, they all had memories of past deaths. Some of them were better left forgotten.  
  
"But that wasn't the worst part," she looked up at Minako, "It had to have been seven hundred years ago. No one expected them, hell; we all had our own problems. At that time the Moon Kingdom had just signed a treaty with the elves on Earth, I don't know how much you were taught about that in your studies."  
  
At Minako's nudging Ami spoke up, "We were told that eight and a half centuries ago a rift was created between the humans and the elves on Earth, the Moon was pulled into the dispute because the prince of the Earth was betrothed to the princess of the Moon. At one point the queen of the elves declared that the humans were to never enter elf territory on Earth, save Neptunians and Uranians. Why they were exempt we weren't told."  
  
"The queen was very good friends with the senshi of those planets and felt no wrong had been committed by them, but please, continue."  
  
"Well, one day the queen disappeared, and was presumed dead, in a war against the wraiths that plagued Earth. For the next one hundred years there were many fights between the elves and humans, it began to border on war. Then, unexpectedly, the queen reappeared. She saved the prince of the Earth and Moon princess from the wraiths that had never been vanquished. Many thought that the queen had always hated humans because many humans were afraid of the elven gifts and were always causing problems for them. In fact, she didn't. It was later discovered that many of the problems between the elves and humans had been started by the wraiths to get the humans, specifically Moon Kingdom, and the elves to destroy each other." Ami stopped to take a breath, "Peace came when the prince and princess came to the Moon with the Queen of the elves with a treaty. They defeated the wraiths together and banished them.  
  
Arica considered all that Ami had said before saying, "That is actually a fairly adequate re-telling of the story, some details are missing but that happens through the years. Now you see why the no one expected the Tryad, everyone was concentrating on making the peace work. When they came.everything was lost." Again Arica paused, thinking back upon the past. "Anyway, we fought them as best we could; at that time everyone knew about us. By us, I mean my fellow element guardians and myself; I suppose you could call us 'Elementals.' The senshi, the army's of the galaxy, and us fought together, any past discrepancies were long forgotten; all that mattered was defeating this evil. In the end it had to be Saturn that would save us." Arica looked out the window into the reaches of space, once again lost in memories until Princess Serenity jolted her back to the present with a question.  
  
"So, then you remember all of what happened?"  
  
Quietly, she answered, "As if it were only yesterday."  
  
"Then that is good then, isn't it? I mean, you know a lot about them which is really helpful." She asked, blue eyes shining with hope.  
  
Arica looked at the Princess, her eyes showing centuries of anguish and pain, "There are times that I would give anything to forget that time. I don't know if retaining my memories of the past will be of any good, so far all it has done is just make it worse." She paused for a moment before sheepishly smiling and pushing a lock of golden hair out of her face, "I'm sorry, talking about this has dredged up some rather painful memories. Knowing about the Tryad will help us to defeat them, it won't make it easy but it is better than knowing nothing."  
  
"I suppose remembering your own death would be pretty painful," Rei said with a bit of a smile. "I know that I hate remembering any of mine."  
  
Minako watched her cousin closely; she hadn't told the complete story, she could tell. A moment later Minako figured it out, "You lost someone, didn't you? That's why it is painful to remember, isn't it?"  
  
Arica shook her head and grinned at her cousin, "I have never fully been able to get one over on you, have I?"  
  
"Nope; never have, never will."  
  
Sobering, Arica said, "Yeah, I lost someone very close to me. Jennkyra tortured and killed them in front of me; only then did she finally kill me. Not that it really mattered, I was gone anyway." Minako and a few of the others frowned in slight confusion. "The person that Jennkyra murdered was my soul mate."  
  
"Oh," Minako now understood, the loss of a soul mate was something that you could never fully recover from.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So, that is why she was rather unfriendly toward you before," Ami observed.  
  
Arica grinned mischievously, "Weeelllll, that's because Jennkyra realized a little too late why exactly she had us. You see, we allowed ourselves to be caught as a distraction so that Saturn was awakened to reset the cycle. We knew that we would die either way, I just didn't think that Jennkyra was so bloody vindictive."  
  
"What do you mean?" Makoto asked.  
  
"Well, I caused her a few problems, in the initial assault I kind of.well, I killed her lover and she didn't take it too well. Since then she, uh, has had it in for me," Arica again gave a sheepish smile.  
  
"Well, she did seem rather. irritated to see you in the ballroom," Haruka said with a laugh, "Now it makes sense."  
  
"Mmm," Arica smiled again.  
  
"So, what was it she called you before she left?" Makoto asked, her curiosity getting the best of her.  
  
Laughing, she replied, "Something very rude. I was taught better manners so I won't repeat it."  
  
"Arica, you've probably come out with far worse!" Minako cried, smacking her cousin. "If you remember you always knew the best curses and taught the rest of us!"  
  
She grinned in return and laughed, "True, very true. Hey, as is, you always asked."  
  
The others couldn't help but smile and laugh at the two cousins; it was also the first time in a long time that the inner senshi and Serenity had seen their friend completely relaxed. The young princess of the Moon watched happily as her friend shot insults and glares at her older cousin, returning to the carefree girl that she had always been. Now it all made sense, six months ago Minako had visited her home planet for her sixteenth birthday, having chosen to spend it with family this year. When she returned there was something different, she was far more serious than before and wasn't as cheerful. During her visit she must have been given the Crescent Sword and been named as the Guardian of Venus, that was why her mood had changed.  
  
As the insult and teasing war died down to a comfortable silence, Serenity chose this time to ask a question that had been on everybody's minds, "Would you mind telling us more about Ishtar?" she asked quietly.  
  
Minako sobered instantly, she thought for a moment before speaking, "I honestly think it would be better if Ari told the story, she grew up with the legends as a kid and knows them better than I."  
  
"Yes, but you know all of the little details," Arica teased, drawing a blush from Minako who glared in return. "But if you really insist."  
  
"I would prefer it, besides you are an excellent story teller," Minako answered.  
  
"Flattery, my dear Miko, will get you everywhere in the world," Arica said with a grin. "But if I am to tell the legend then I am going to tell the complete one, which will take some time. So, I suggest that we move down to the mess hall and get comfortable. It's down the hall, second to the last door on your right; I'll be there in a moment, I just want to put this thing on full autopilot."  
  
The senshi and princess stood, a few stretching cramped muscles and rubbing still sore injuries. Five minutes later, they all sat on numerous lounges and cushions. Makoto looked over at Minako and said, "You cousin is a lot like you, and is as funny as you said."  
  
Minako smiled, "Yeah, she was always a bit of a trouble maker at times, and always a complete flirt."  
  
"Well, I guess we know where you learned it from then," Rei said with a laugh.  
  
"I can't help it if some guys are just sooo.cute. Besides, like your friend said, you learned rather fast." Arica said walking in to the lounge and dropping into a large, soft chair; she immediately winced in pain, "Ow," she half-moaned and then growled, "Damned creature."  
  
"Ribs still hurting?" Minako asked.  
  
Arica nodded, "So, you want to know about Ishtar?" It wasn't so much a question as it was a statement. "In that case I am going to tell you a legend that I grew up with. Now, Ishtar lived in a time when two of Venus' great races were at war with one another, few people remember that there was ever a great civil war on Venus that claimed many lives. Most don't even believe it because there is little or no trace of it." Arica paused and shifted to get more comfortable in her seat before she began the tale of Ishtar.  
  
"Now every child on Venus is told the story of Ishtar, legendary Champion of the elves and Guardian of Venus. Legends say that Ishtar was a female warrior who was originally an elf princess. When war broke out between the humans on Venus and the elves, her family was killed in an attack on Arulyn, the capitol elf city. Ishtar was only twelve at the time and was shattered, for she lost her dear twin brother; whisked away amid the chaos Ishtar was then raised by Generals and warriors. Learning the arts of war and weapons craft, young Ishtar quickly became the best warrior in the camp, and in time the entire elven force. Her skills in magick and fighting soon became known throughout the elven army.  
  
"Ishtar suddenly found herself in command of the elven army when she was but sixteen when General Tammuz, who had become a surrogate father, was killed. In a brash action motivated by pain and rage, the young queen ordered an immediate attack on the unsuspecting human camps and castle. In the assault all of the royal family but the princess were killed, as a result the fourteen-year-old girl became Queen over night. Young Jena began to hate the elves because of what had happened to her family and people.  
  
"For the next two years war raged on the planet, both sides suffered heavy losses. Few in the galaxy knew what was happening on the windy planet because the other planets were experiencing their own problems and disputes. On the eve of Jena's sixteenth birthday, the princess left the protection of her guard to walk in the peaceful forest in which they were camped out.  
  
"Ishtar, also seeking solitude from her guards and army, took a walk in the very same forest. The two met by a peaceful lake, but when they realized that each was of another race tensions rose. Ishtar and Jena did not fight though; they were both exhausted of the constant fighting and wanted only a break from the endless cycle to think back upon the past six years. They finally introduced themselves as Isis and Inanna. The two talked of how they were fed up of the wars and death; they had begun to form a friendship despite their difference in race when the sounds of a battle broke out. Each gave hasty farewells and rushed off to find out the source of the fighting. When Ishtar reached the makeshift battlefield, she discovered it to be a clash between the elves and humans. She hesitated for a moment before joining a fray; across the field, the human princess did the same.  
  
"The skirmish ended rather quickly when each side realized that it had its ruler; the fight had begun because each leader was missing, and fears had arisen that they may have been kidnapped. As Ishtar and Jena shouted for a retreat they saw each other and realized whom the other truly was.  
  
"After the battle, both were confused and each was unable to expel the other from her thoughts. They realized that they could not hate each other anymore, with this revelation came the one that they were fighting purely for retribution. Yet, each was still pressed by their generals and advisors to keep attacking and to conquer the other.  
  
"During this time, Ishtar drew away from her guards, many times to think on the past and what might become the future. One night, under the stars, Ishtar watched as a tiny object streaked across the night sky. As she watched, it fell deep into the atmosphere, leaving a bright trail in its wake. A bright flash of light signified its impact on the Venusian horizon.  
  
"Ishtar felt unexplainably drawn to the impact site and so she hastily prepared for the journey, compelled by an unseen force; before she departed she told those closest to her that she would return as soon as she could. To reach the impact site she had to travel into the desolate 'Badlands' of Venus. The Badlands of Venus are a reminder of the hellish conditions that were once Venus before the first Serenity came and made each of the planets inhabitable with the ginsuishou. Very close to the image one gets of Hell, the Badlands are a harsh environment for any race with molten rivers and geysers that spat a sulphuric acid and carbon dioxide mix into the atmosphere. Volcanoes erupted regularly and ate away at the rocky terrain, while other geysers of hydrogen were ignited into flames by the lava that ran in rivulets through the sand and rock. In other places columns of fire seemed to reach up towards the heavens, as if from Hell itself. The wind would whip up the loose sand at terrifying speeds; in some storms the sand would strip the flesh off of any unprotected body. People rarely ventured in to the Badlands unless they were searching for something, had nothing to lose, or, as in the years to come, were being tested.  
  
"For days Ishtar scoured the blistering, ashy terrain, searching for any sign of the impact site before she finally found the crater. As she finally approached the crater she discovered the heart of a small comet. Though most comets were composed of ice and rock, this one was of the purest crystal laced with an unrecognisable metal. As she approached the heart she was startled to find no heat radiating from it; hesitating at first, Ishtar reached out and found the rock cool to the touch. Power and energy radiated from the stone, filling the young elven warrior with a peace and comfort that she had not known in many years. 'Why do you call me so?' she asked in a hushed whisper, not expecting an answer.  
  
"All of Ishtar's life she had felt as if she were protected and guided by someone, or something. If she felt lost or confused then this.force would help her. Whatever it was it did not quite talk to her, instead she simply knew where to go or what was right. Some would call it a guardian entity or angel, or some latent ability, or even instinct; whatever it was Ishtar had long since learned to listen and follow it. Soon she came to understand that this rock, this heart of a comet, held an extraordinary power; one that if harnessed, might be able to peacefully restore her planet.  
  
"Now Ishtar knew what to do, she now knew why the crystal object had called her. She would forge a pure and magnificent weapon with which she would free her people and protect them against any evil. The sword would always protect the innocent, human, elf, or otherwise; the sword itself would be incapable of committing any crime or be used for evil. Labouring for many days, Ishtar moved the crystal and followed the path that she felt was right. The elf did not know that it was her brother that guided her in the Badlands, delivering her to her destiny. He lead her deeper in to the Badlands, deeper than any had ever been at least to tell about it, where Ishtar found a massive volcano rising out of the broken ground. Inside of it she found a forge, the fires fuelled by the very core of the planet.  
  
"The forge was archaic and Ishtar did not know how it came to be; she only knew that this where she would forge her weapon: only its fires would be strong enough to make the metal malleable enough to shape. It took many, many days for the fires to melt the comet heart; so many that Ishtar soon lost track of time. Unbeknownst to her, days were becoming weeks and weeks becoming months while she slaved away in the oppressive heat. When the forge was finally hot enough Ishtar melted down the metal laced crystal and began to craft her sword. As she worked she fed her own magick and power in to the blade, intertwining it with the power already present in the crystalline metal.  
  
"On the blade, in ancient elvish, she engraved the words 'Antura ia aruh, mieaka ia kalie, kimah ia jienda: Gemkia e ehakaimika ia lekiah venak. Whaeleu ehd owequ, finteha.' The blade was light, allowing the wielder extremely fast attacks, yet it was strong and resilient. The sword's blade had a blue hue to the edges and always had a feint glow to it. Upon the hilt sat two crystal crescents (back to back) that identify the sword now. On the bottom of the hilt sat an amber coloured stone, whenever an evil presence is nearby the stone shall become clouded as a warning to the wielder.  
  
"The blade of the sword is incredibly sharp, so sharp that the blade is able to separate whatever blocks the blade's path. The sword is able to cut though even the strongest steel, so long as the wielder has the strength of mind and soul (and of course body) to do so. With her new weapon, Ishtar began an intense training sequence to learn how to harness and wield the fearsome blade. Almost a year later, Ishtar finally emerged from the volcanic forge with the sword in a sheath made from mythril, an elven metal so light and so strong that many seek it for weapons, adorned with the finest gems. She trekked back to the elven camp, always knowing where her people where instinctively. There she was startled to find that almost a year had passed and that the forces were readying for a final assault to finish the humans off. Though astonished to see Ishtar again with such a magnificent weapon, Marduk, whom she had left in command, immediately handed leadership back to Ishtar. Before she knew, it the troops were on the march towards the human encampment, back through the Badlands.  
  
"While Ishtar had laboured away in the subterranean forge, the young human princess of Venus left for the Moon where her senshi training was to be completed and where she was sworn in as one of the Queen's elite guard. When the young girl returned to her home she was shocked to see the army preparing to make an attack via the Badlands. Both were exhausted from their journeys and the war, so they simply agreed to the assaults in hopes of finishing the war once and for all.  
  
"When the armies met in the harsh, fiery Badlands they met and immediately charged into battle. Ishtar held back from the battle, looking for one person; when she finally saw the young senshi of Venus she slipped away from the battle to confront her. She thought to capture the princess and make her surrender in hopes of ending the battle before too many would die. Jena too hoped and planned for this.  
  
"When they came face-to-face Ishtar again saw the person who haunted her dreams, she told the human princess to surrender and that no one would be enslaved or imprisoned. But the girl would not surrender, she declared that if Ishtar surrendered then the elves too would be free, but neither would give up. Each was too headstrong and full of dignity to forfeit; they threw themselves into a fierce battle. Although they each were reluctant to hurt each other, they knew that this battle would decide the outcome of the war and establish the future of the planet."  
  
~~~~~  
  
The almost hypnotic effect of Arica's retelling of the myth was broken as she was racked by a fit of coughs. Pressing a hand to her chest, she desperately tried to suppress the paroxysms. Minako quickly slid over to refreshment unit and pressed a few buttons, then, with a glass of water in hand, she knelt by her cousin and offered the drink. Nodding her thanks, Arica managed to take a drink of the liquid in between coughing fits. Repeating the process a few times, she managed to get the coughing under control.  
  
Minako, still crouching by Arica, placed a hand on her knee and asked, concern lacing her voice, "Are you sure you are okay, and wouldn't you be better off in an infirmary?"  
  
Arica shook her head violently, "No. This mission is greater than all of us. If we fail then we not only damn ourselves, but also the entire galaxy." Quieter, she added, "And with the fall of our galaxy, the fate of the universe is sealed."  
  
"It's that big?" the Guardian of the Gates of Time asked, "I knew that this battle would be crucial to our existence, but to the entire universe?"  
  
"Oh yes." Closing her eyes and leaning back into the chair, Arica tried to banish the rest of the pain in her ribs and chest. If she survived this battle on Saturn then she would have to get healed, fast. If she knew Jennkyra and the Tryad, then the battle had only just begun. She opened her eyes again and smiled, patting Minako's hand she said, "Oh fear not, cousin mine. We have just and good on our side, while it does not insure a victory, good will always win. Of that you must always believe." The last sentence addressed the others as well as Minako. "When you doubt yourself or your cause then you are all but insuring your enemies victory."  
  
"Damn cous., can you get anymore melodramatic or erudite?" Minako asked with a grin.  
  
"Mmm. I know, it's all of these life times coming back to haunt me," Arica laughed before grinning mischievously and adding in a loud whisper, as though telling a secret, "Before you know it, you too will sound like the 'o' wise and mysterious garnet eyed one'." She then flashed a disarming grin at Setsuna to show that no offence was meant. The woman in question simply rolled her eyes, quite used to the young woman's antics that were so alike to Minako's. "But seriously, don't doubt yourselves."  
  
"I don't think we'll have to worry about that too much, loosing faith will be the last thing that we will do," Rei said confidently, the others nodding in agreement.  
  
"Be that as it may," Arica told them, "But when you've watched friends be tortured and mercilessly slaughtered, when you've lost battle after battle, and when you see no way out of the endless cycle of death, you begin to doubt everything-"  
  
From where she sat with young Serenity, Setsuna added, "-including your sanity." Unable to speak after such a statement, especially from one they saw as the most stable of them all, the younger senshi and princess sat in a hushed silence, not saying anything and pondering what could have made these two warriors feel this way.  
  
Sensing the turn of the mood to melancholy, Arica again tried to lighten the mood, though she used a different tactic. "As much fun as it is sitting here staring at our feet and contemplating the fuzz in our belly buttons, I have to admit that I would prefer something a little more thrilling," she flashed a grin. "Do you guys have anymore questions? Well, you would wouldn't you? I mean, there is so much left to ask."  
  
Minako rose to her feet, shaking her head in response to her cousin, and went to go to sit back in her chair when a pair of arms snaked around her waist and drew her back. Without so much as a warning, she was unceremoniously pulled into the large chair and her cousin's lap. "What?.Ari," Minako growled.  
  
"I'm sure they have some question that only you can answer. And interestingly, too." Minako saw the mischievous gleam return to Arica's silver eyes, though, to tell the truth, that gleam never left. In response to the rather pointed comment, Minako blushed a light pink and went to jab Arica with an elbow. Then, remembering her injuries, Minako resorted to simply stomping on her cousin's foot.  
  
"OW! You vicious, little terror," Arica yelped and jerked her foot out of Minako's stomping range. Unable to maintain a downcast mood with the two's antics, the senshi and princess couldn't help but laugh. Setsuna allowed a smile to lighten her features, her respect for the young woman grew with each moment. She seemed to have the ability to lighten anybody's mood and bring out the best in everyone around her. She and Minako were very much alike in this too.  
  
Feigning mock-hurt and anger, Arica glared and growled, "Oh, you think my pain is funny, eh? Princesses.riiight." Sticking her tongue out and blowing a raspberry, she continued and gave off the air of an indignant feline who had her dignity stepped on. "Fine then, I'll leave you with the little viper. And I'll leave you to find out where to locate and awaken Saturn all by yourselves!" She sat back in the chair, crossed her arms over her chest, and proceeded to ignore them like a petulant child.  
  
This only served to make the senshi and princess laugh even harder; managing to suppress some of her giggles, Minako said to the others, "Aww, I think we've gone and hurt her feelings, well, at least her pride, anyway." Then she addressed her cousin, "You're not really mad at us are you? You know I couldn't bear it if you were angry with me," Minako ducked into Arica's line of sight and stared at her with her patented 'puppy-dog eyes.' No one was able to resist them, not even Arica.  
  
Sighing grumpily, Arica tried to look away in an attempt to maintain the act, but Minako was exceptionally good at getting what she wanted. "Oh, fine! Just stop that!" Arica finally growled. "That is not nice, and you know it." Minako grinned and clapped her hands like a happy child who just got what they wanted.  
  
Near them, Makoto leaned over to Ami, who sat next to the thunder senshi, and said, loud enough so that all could hear them, "You notice how child- like they are?" Then as an after-thought, she added, "And similar?"  
  
"Mmm," Ami commented, then, seeing the two in question watching her she swallowed half nervously and asked, "So, what happened next?"  
  
This served to distract the two enough; Ami sighed in relief. Having both Arica and Minako watch you like a predator was defiantly not fun. "Eh, they fought," Arica stated, as if it was the end of the tale.  
  
"That can't be the end of the story, I mean, come on, they hated each other. How can that be the end of the tale?" the fire senshi asked.  
  
Grinning, Arica asked, "Who said they hated each other?"  
  
"They were mortal enemies, right?" Haruka asked.  
  
"True," Minako agreed, though with a smile that said that she knew far more than she was willing to tell just yet.  
  
Setsuna spoke up, "Surely you remember the feud between Neptune and Uranus, not so long ago?" Michiru and Haruka glanced at each other. "We all know how that situation ended. Wars and disputes raged across both planets for a time, didn't it? You two are testament of how hatred can go only so far."  
  
"You don't mean that Ishtar and Jena." Ami's question trailed off as she realised just what she was asking. The girl was still quite easily embarrassed.  
  
However, she had guessed correctly, and the others could tell from Minako's blush. That, and she seemed to find Arica's sleeve extremely interesting as she traced the symbol on her gauntlet. "They're waiting for an answer you know. And, you're blushing a lovely shade," Arica teased. Minako blushed harder and made no comment.  
  
From where she sat with Michiru, the Uranian chuckled, "Well, I think we've got our answer or as much as we are going to get, anyway." She grinned and waited for Minako to say something, when she didn't she asked, "So, tell us Minako, did they." Haruka wiggled her eyebrows for emphasis.  
  
For her teasing Haruka received a sharp elbow in the ribs from Michiru, "Behave!" she scolded. Then with a grin she said, "If she wants to tell us how things became resolved, then she will do so."  
  
Minako blinked at the comment and shook her head, "You people are insufferable." Laughter rippled through the assembled.  
  
Serenity looked up at Setsuna, "Pluto, how come you don't seem to remember the Tryad?"  
  
"Please, Princess, call me Setsuna," then looking at the other inner senshi, she added, "All of you. As to why I don't have memories.well, I would assume that it has to do with Saturn calling upon the Silence." Quieter, to herself, she murmured, "Although, it doesn't make all that much sense, seen as how every other time I have either been unaffected, or gain my memories back in time."  
  
"If you will," Arica said, interrupting the time guardians thoughts, "I may be able to explain." Arica shifted Minako slightly before continuing, at Setsuna's consent, "Now, you'll have to understand that I am neither scholar nor god. With that said, hopefully you will still listen," she gave a grin. "When the Tryad came we were unprepared, and it soon became apparent how unprepared we were. The other thing that you should remember is that most of this comes memories."  
  
"But- if you'll excuse me for interrupting," Rei said, and then continued when Arica nodded, "Why do you remember, but we don't."  
  
Arica chuckled, "Well, the thing is when you senshi are reincarnated it is into a new body. Sometimes there will be differences in both appearance and personality." Seeing the slight confusion on some of their faces, Arica explained, "Okay, for example, there was one incarnation of.actually, I'll use one you already know. Take Jena and Minako, now, they are actually both quite similar in looks, although, Jena's eyes tended to have more green and her hair was darker. Personality wise, though, where Minako is social, outgoing, and a flirt-"  
  
"I am not a flirt!" Minako half-yelled.  
  
"You are so! I should know for a fact, seen as how I taught you!" Arica shot back. "And I taught you well. Anyway, where Minako likes to be the centre of things, Jena was actually shy, reserved, quiet, and dignified."  
  
"Are you saying I'm not dignified?" Arica simply favoured Minako with a look and smiled. And was promptly smacked for it.  
  
"So, we are never the same person twice, that is rather understandable," Michiru said, trying to get them back on track. They were amusing to watch, but her curiosity had been peaked. Just as much as the others. "But how does this influence whether or not we remember past lives?"  
  
'Well, I was getting to that before someone so rudely interrupted me," Arica glared pointedly at Minako. "The thing is, in some lives you may be reborn with just similar traits physically, psychologically, emotionally, or even magickally to those of the past. You will always have the senshi abilities and duties; those are tied to your souls. You will be conditioned in each life to bear the responsibility and obligations that come with being a senshi. No ordinary person may be a senshi; it is far too much of a strain, but this you already know," the others smiled at this comment. "The thing is in each life it is a different body, there is always something different. But sometimes, sometimes the supposedly impossible happens. In extremely rare, and usually unheard of, cases the senshi spirit and soul may be born into the same body."  
  
"What do you mean same body?" Ami asked, curiosity etched across her intelligent features.  
  
"Well, in those rare cases, the senshi is exactly the same. Then, the body and soul have been born in to the same vessel." After a moment, Arica added, "Also, in those cases the senshi tends to have the same name."  
  
After considering this for a few moments, Haruka asked, "Why is it so rare?"  
  
The girl grinned, "Glad you asked. Well, in order for this to happen, the senshi must die a sudden and unplanned death."  
  
Makoto frowned and said dryly, "I'm pretty sure no one plans his or her death."  
  
"That," Arica rolled her eyes and said, "Is not what I meant. I mean fate, destiny; you know, destined to live a long life or fated to die protecting the one you love or your liege. By it being unplanned I meant, if you died in a way not even the Fates could predict. That, usually happens from a doomsday spell or weapon from a seemingly unbeatable foe, or from your own evocation of a catastrophic force."  
  
"Like Saturn," Serenity said.  
  
"Exactly. No one can tell if that will ever happen, that is one of the unforetellable events."  
  
"So, does that mean we all have a destiny that we will die in a particular way?" the young princess of Mars asked.  
  
Arica glanced over at Setsuna, "That, I think is more of your territory. I just know about past lives, incarnations, reincarnation, and magick. I mostly leave fate and time to others."  
  
A small smile showed on the time guardian's features, "Not very many people want the headache that comes with either job, time or reincarnation." She addressed Rei's question, "The thing you must understand about time and destiny is that there is no path set in stone. Every decision we make influences the outcome in the end. There is usually an event, like our death or, for some, marriage, that will almost always stay the same," she paused to let what she said to sink in. "But, that does not mean that our 'fate' is inescapable or out of our control. Time and fate, or destiny, or whatever you want to call, it is actually much like a river. You would think that the course is unmoveable and cannot deviate, but if you try hard enough and use the right methods you can make that river flow east instead of west. It is really a matter of how hard you desire the change. That is the difference between humans and animals and so many other species, we have the power to influence our fate."  
  
"It's merely a matter of determination. That was defiantly a good explanation, most people think that they can't change their destiny and give up. I can tell you now that changing one's destiny is probably the hardest thing to do, in fact, often times it is down right impossible," Arica grinned, "Not that that has ever stopped me from trying."  
  
Michiru looked at the girl curiously, "You've changed your destiny before?"  
  
"Mm-hmm, it was a battle that I actually lost."  
  
Confusion and bewilderment spread across many of the senshi's features, "You want to run that one by us again?" Makoto asked.  
  
Arica laughed, "It wasn't just me that changed my destiny, the thing that most don't know is that you cannot change your destiny alone. You must have help, and usually it is an extraordinary and exceptional power that intervenes on your behalf."  
  
"What intervened on your behalf," Minako asked.  
  
Grinning she answered, "You should know that one, silly; 'specially as you are senshi of it. Love. Love, my friends, conquers all. And that is why the Fates hate it so much. It gives them such a headache." She laughed and then said, "But we seemed to have strayed a little off from your question, princess. The difference between the senshi and we Guardians, the reason why we remember what you do not: we are born into the same body each time. That is why we remember everything; in each life we are the same person. Each time I will be born again as Arica, I will have the same features and personality, I will always be born again as Kaze, the guardian of the element of wind."  
  
"Yeah, and you will always be born again as the same pain in the ass, sent to drive me insane," Minako muttered with a glare.  
  
"That, dear Miko," she grinned, "Is very true." More seriously she added, "Whilst everything will not be the same in each life, in fact it rarely is, I will always relatively turn out the same way."  
  
"A brat, cheeky, mischievous, impish, precocious, and so many other things that I can't remember at the moment, but above all else: pain in my behind," Minako added with a cheeky grin. "But utterly adorable and the biggest flirt this side of Venus." As a response, Arica stuck her tongue out at her cousin.  
  
"So then, you remember the past because you are the same person each time?" Rei asked.  
  
"Yup, it is a natural thing for us. I usually regain my memories when I am Called."  
  
A look of puzzlement crossed the Mercurian princess' face, "Called?"  
  
"To my duty and destiny," Arica answered.  
  
"Ah. How do you know you are called?" the girl asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.  
  
Arica smiled, "Well, it is kind of hard to explain. You just know that it is your time, sometimes there are omens and others a vision, but for all it is the same. You know that your innocence has ended and now you have a task."  
  
Mischief dancing in her eyes, Haruka reminded the others of the earlier conversation, "So, Minako.what happened in the Badlands after Arica stopped the tale?"  
  
Glaring at the Uranian for bringing up the subject again, Minako begrudgingly answered, "Nothing of the sort that you are suggesting, Haruka." She chose to ignore the smirk on the older girl's face and continued, "Actually, the story gets even more interesting. It seems that there were evil forces at work on Venus at the time."  
  
"So, you mean the humans and elves were manipulated into the war?" the thunder senshi asked.  
  
"As much as we all wish that Ishtar and Jena had been manipulated into war, that was not so. Each well and truly hated the other. There was always distrust and dislike under the surface with the humans and elves, but an outside force sparked it. The problem was that it created an avalanche effect and damn near wiped out all of Venus."  
  
"I suppose I should tell the next part of the tale as I was there," Minako said, taking a deep breath before continuing, "What few know of is the battle that ensued in the Badlands. I don't know for how long it raged, but soon Ishtar and Jena had become separated from their armies and drifted away, too locked in battle to notice." As Minako spoke, the memories flooded her mind again with a startling clarity, making it seem as if she were there.  
  
~~~~~  
  
The elven princess' golden- flecked eyes widened at the bolt of raw energy thrown at her head. With a growl, Ishtar swung her sword up to deflect the blast; the blue hued blade, absorbing some of the energy and reflecting the rest, showed no mark from the intense blast. 'You'd thing the girl was trying to kill me,' Ishtar thought sourly, then after a moment she amended, 'Probably is too. I am responsible for her family's deaths after all.' No sooner had Ishtar blocked the magickal attack from the human girl, when she felt the blast of hot air and acid from behind her. A quick glance over her shoulder confirmed her suspicions that there was a sulphur dioxide- spewing geyser behind her. Remembering that the gas was quite poisonous and harsh on the lungs, she quickly took a deep lungful of hot, but almost pure -as pure as one can get in the Badlands- air.  
  
Expecting for the human princess to press the advantage, Ishtar was surprised when the girl threw an attack at her which caused her to duck and roll to the left, away from the geyser. 'Maybe she wants this battle as little as I,' she wondered. 'Maybe she is as tired of all of the death.maybe all the humans are.' Ishtar exhaled and barked out in a harsh voice, "Give it up and I swear that I will do everything in my power to make this go away as easily as possible! We don't want revenge or retribution! Just an end!!"  
  
"You know that isn't possible," Jena responded her voice as equally as harsh from the arid and acidic environment. She smiled wryly, "Neither of us can surrender, and yet neither of us wish to further this blood bath, what cruel games the gods play on we mere mortals."  
  
Ishtar swung her blade in a vertical cut, Jena's own sword quickly darting to intercept and deflect it. "Perhaps. You have haunted my dreams all these months," the elf told Jena without a trace of embarrassment, shame, or regret.  
  
Jena rolled her eyes and said in an exasperated tone, "This is not the time for things like that, you know!" She ducked to the right to avoid another blow and jabbed at Ishtar's unprotected side.  
  
Ishtar laughed -an odd sound from one fighting with their once mortal enemy. "Be that as it may, 'tis be true," after a moment, she added, "I meant what I said that night.I don't hate your people. Not anymore. What point is there?"  
  
Jena nodded in understanding and didn't notice that Ishtar had blocked the move. Both were near exhaustion after their respective journeys and the battle. They traded a few more blows before Jena replied, "Strange how you can be so sure of something your entire life, and then at one moment it all changes. In the course of an hour, everything you knew to be true and a constant is changed so dramatically."  
  
Ishtar deftly leaped over a lava filled chasm and dodged another geyser, this one spouting out blasts of fire. This was defiantly not the place for a battle, much less a conversation. "What do we do? If we walk out of here, what happens then? To much blood has been shed and too many lives taken by both sides for this to have a happy ending."  
  
Jena sighed and let the exhaustion show through, making her seem decades older. "I truly don't know. I vowed once to make my family's murderers pay, but their deaths will bring no one peace for they were avenging someone else. All this is, is an endless, bloody cycle, one we can never escape from."  
  
Ishtar watched the girl in front of her for a few minutes and then glanced around her. They were on a stable, if not jagged and rocky, island of sorts, surrounded on most sides by rivers of molten rock. Where there was not lava, there were geysers of sulphuric acid, carbon dioxide, and fire. An endless ring of fire. She looked up meeting Jena's blue eyes with her own silver and golden ones. "There is always an end, one just has to know where to look," her voice was oddly hushed and Jena had to take a step closer and strain to hear over the howling, dry winds. Ishtar slid her sword into the sheath that seemingly appeared at her side. Elven magick came in rather useful at times. She then showed that her hands were free of any weapon and stepped closer to Jena. "You were the better combatant. Despite my training in the forge, I was unable to defeat you in battle because I was so exhausted. My only request is and was that my people not be judged too harshly for their crimes as many were only following orders and acting out of pain."  
  
Realising what the elf was saying, Jena shook her head violently. "Either we both leave the Badlands together, or neither of us leave them at all. I shall not, and cannot, do it!"  
  
Infuriated, Ishtar growled back, "How can I ask to live and expect to when I have such crimes and sins in my past?! I am responsible for so many deaths and so much blood shed, surly our home needs no one like me!"  
  
"If you are responsible, then what of me?!" Jena yelled back, staring at the proud elf before her on one knee waiting for her to end it. "I am just as guilty of spilling blood as you, how can you ask me to end your life when should not my life be forfeit as much as yours?" Jena's eyes locked with Ishtar's, imploringly, after a few moments she finally spoke again, this time her voice much softer than before, "Please don't ask me to do that. Anything but that." She paused before continuing, "Especially when 'tis your voice that haunts me and the face that I see when I close my eyes or dream is yours. I came here knowing there was no way I could kill you. How can you kill someone that in one night, you fell in love with against all your efforts?" Dropping her gaze to the ground, Jena waited for Ishtar's response.  
  
It was some time before the elf found her voice and the words. "All these years I haven't been listening to my heart or my head. I don't know what I have been listening to, I suppose I did think it was my heart. I know now that it wasn't because for the last year I have been trying to ignore my heart and what it tells me. What it says can't be true, for not even the gods are that cruel as to play a joke such as this." Less then a meter away, Jena closed her eyes and turned her head away, trying to banish the pain in her heart. It cannot be! She opened her eyes, startled when she felt a soft hand gently touch her cheek and tilt her chin up. "And yet, I find I can ignore it no longer. As confused and scared as I may be, I know that what it tells me is true." The elf's eyes softened, "As impossible as this may turn to be."  
  
".'tis just as impossible to ignore it," Jena said with a small smile. Though small, it was the first, genuine smile that the human princess had given in many years. Before the elf could respond, the ground beneath them began to rumble and quiver. Jena looked up at the taller elf, alarm creeping into her blue eyes, "The volcano?"  
  
Ishtar shook her head. "No, that thing has been dormant of centuries if not millennia." She watched the ground, concern showing through in her eyes too. After a moment she murmured, "'Tis not the planet that causes this distress." Her sharp gaze watched as a crack began to grow, "What evil is afoot here?" she whispered, as she instinctively reached out and pulled Jena unresistingly against her.  
  
"Ishtar," Jena said, fear edging into her voice, "Over there."  
  
Following the younger girl's gaze, Ishtar's eyes widened in realisation as she saw an identical chasm growing on the other side of them. "Shit," she said before meeting Jena's eyes as the ground beneath them gave way and plummeted, taking them with it.  
  
~~~~~  
  
"What happened?" Makoto asked when Minako had trailed off.  
  
Arica nudged Minako. "Hmmm? Oh, the outside force that sparked the war revealed itself to Ishtar and Jena. Only through overcoming their differences and hatred were they able to work together to complete the seven challenges set before them by Nergal and Ereshkigal."  
  
"Nergal and Ere-who?" Makoto asked with a slight frown.  
  
Smiling, Minako told the tall warrior of Jupiter, "Ereshkigal and Nergal were the two that plotted to have the elves and humans annihilate each other. They just never anticipated upon Ishtar and Jena being able to overcome their hatred."  
  
"Yeah, but you also forgot about Ereshkigal's thing for Jena," Arica added with a grin; to which, Minako simply rolled her eyes and sighed. After a few minutes, she spoke again, "Anyway, if there are not anymore questions, then I suggest that we all get some sleep. We still don't know what awaits us on Saturn." Arica told them after watching a few of them try and hide yawns. The Moon princess had already drifted off as soon as the tale was finished, leaning against a rather placid Rei. Near them, the Mercurian senshi would be soon to follow if the drooping of her head was any indication.  
  
The tall Uranian glanced around and chuckled, "I think you are quite right. It is their bed time." With a crooked grin at the sleepy Michiru, she added, "It is far past ours."  
  
The ones who had fallen asleep or were almost there were roused and Arica showed them to their quarters. Before ducking into her's, Rei eyed the ship suspiciously, "Most of us were under the impression that the Earthlings didn't have many ships and those that they did were.primitive."  
  
The tall blond grinned, "Ah, now while that may be true of Earthers, I am not bound by the same laws as they." With another mysterious grin that would rival even Setsuna's, Arica turned and guided her cousin down the corridor. After a few turns, she stopped and pressed the control plate. She steered Minako over to the bunk and gently pushed her onto it; Minako didn't even try to resist.  
  
"Why am I so tired.exhausted, really?" She asked as her cousin laid the blanked over her and sat upon the edge of the bunk, which was oddly comfortable considering that it was a cot.  
  
"Because, silly Miko, you not only battled a creature of nightmares but also channelled a very powerful soul. While being an actual descendant helps, you will find that when Ishtar leaves you, you'll feel quite exhausted. Your body will learn to adjust to it, but only if it is given time to." Arica reached up and gently brushed Minako's bangs away from her forehead. Sighing, she admitted, "I really wish I had the time to spend with you. Some days I truly regret my calling, because my duties take me so far away from you. Maybe one of these days we will get the chance to sit down and reminisce of days passed, mmm?"  
  
Minako nodded sleepily, her exhaustion showing through, "That would be nice. I've missed you too."  
  
Arica smiled, leaned up, and kissed Minako softly on the forehead. "Goodnight, you. I will see you in a few hours." She stood and when she glanced over her shoulder before stepping out, she found Minako already asleep. "Sweet dreams, Miko."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Some might call Minako's dreams sweet, and some, peaceful. Others might have said disturbing, but Minako called them memories, of a life passed and gone.  
  
~~~~~  
  
Stepping into the Queen's chambers, Ishtar glanced around. When she didn't see her quarry in the room she raised an eyebrow in a silent question and began to search for her mate. After a thorough search that did not turn up any sign of the human queen of Venus, Ishtar stalked back into the main room and frowned at the walls as if accusing them of hiding Jena. After a moment, she heard the flapping of the curtains in the gently night's breeze. She looked over to discover the balcony doors slightly ajar. 'Ah, I should have guessed,' she thought as she silently crossed the room and stepped through the doors, pausing in the doorway to watch the young woman who had come to and still held her heart.  
  
The young queen of Venus stood at the wall, arms wrapped around herself, as she looked out over the capital city of Venus, Alihan. In the time following the end of the civil war, peace had at first been trying and difficult on both parties, but now the effects were showing as old wounds were healing and new friendships forged. The people had been surprisingly accepting of the relationship that had been formed between the two young rulers, in fact, the only resistance had come from some of the older generals. Jena chuckled softly as she remembered Ishtar's response to their opinion, after that fiasco, neither human nor elf voiced any problem with the relationship.  
  
Upon thinking of the strong-willed and fierce elf, Jena smiled. Since their confrontation in the Badlands and the discovery of Nergal and Ereshkigal, both had let go of their fears and finally allowed themselves to feel what they had each denied since that first meeting in the woods that fateful night. It was hard at times, some days it was down right near impossible, but time had a way of healing even the most painful of pains. Jena gasped softly when she felt strong arms encircle her waist and draw her against a familiar body. She sighed as Ishtar laughed softly in her ear. "I'm not used to you doing that! I wish you would stop sneaking up on me."  
  
Ishtar chuckled and kissed Jena softly on the cheek, "Sorry, you are just too much fun to do that too. I mean, you jump so well and get so mad at me." Jena twisted around to glare at the taller elf, to which, Ishtar laughed and kissed the tip of Jena's nose. "Don't do that, it is defiantly not becoming of a lady of your stature." So instead, the human queen promptly stuck out her tongue. Ishtar laughed even harder, "And that is any better? If your ministers saw you acting like this they would have kittens.on second thought, come on! Let's go." Ishtar grinned and headed towards the door, Jena's hand in her own.  
  
Unable to resist any more, Jena too laughed, "You are an absolute terror." She stood firmly and instead pulled the elf back to her. Instead of resisting, Ishtar stepped back to Jena, pulling the smaller woman closer.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Mm-hmmm," Jena nodded.  
  
"And am I to assume you like this terror?" she asked, her golden eyes glittering in the moonlight mischievously.  
  
Jena smiled up at her lover, "Oh, very much."  
  
"Well, that's a good thing, it simplifies so many things," Ishtar murmured before kissing Jena ever so softly. When she pulled away, she brought up their intertwined hands and kissed the back of Jena's softly and held it against her chest. Then she looked back over the city, it was some time before either spoke again. "What were you doing out here?" Ishtar finally asked, exhaling a content sigh as Jena shifted to slip her remaining arm about her waist and rest her head on Ishtar's shoulder.  
  
"Oh, just thinking about the Badlands again and all that happened there."  
  
"Mmm," Ishtar murmured before resting her head upon Jena's. "And your Queen Serenity knew nothing of those two?"  
  
Jena shook her head softly, "No, when I told her and the other senshi of the events they were surprised to hear about the war raging, let alone those two."  
  
Ishtar laughed softly, a sound that Jena loved to hear, knowing how rare it was for the normally aloof elf to express many of her emotions. "And how did they react to the news of me?"  
  
Jena could imagine the mischievous twinkle in her love's eyes. "Actually, they were a little surprised. After all, I am usually rather shy and quiet as opposed to some of the others."  
  
"Mmm, I must know a different person," Ishtar paused, and Jena had learned to dread these types of pauses as they tended to signal another of the elf's teasing moods. "The Jena I know is rarely quiet."  
  
"Ishtar!" Jena cried as she smacked the elf soundly. Ishtar simply laughed and recaptured Jena's hand. A little while later, Jena pulled away enough to glimpse the taller woman's face. Ishtar watched the city below them and the night sky with her normal criticalness and sharp gaze. Jena had come to recognize this watchful manner and the way the elf's jaw was set, that Ishtar had something serious on her mind. "What are you thinking of?"  
  
Ishtar didn't immediately answer, and when she did it was almost reluctantly. "I can't help but wonder what this universe has in store for us." She glanced down at her lover, "Our battles are not over, not by a long shot. But.for some reason I know that we are going to have more than our fair share of trying times a head of us. And some of them will seem as if there is no way out. People such as we never know what the fates have in store for us."  
  
Jena nodded, "And neither will our descendants, but is that not our curse and gift?" She reached up and brushed a lock of hair out of Ishtar's face and smiled softly. "We are meant for great things.as will our children be, and their children's children. That is the fate of the senshi of this system, along with those like you who fight similar battles to our. We may never know why we are chosen for our tasks or why it is we who must sacrifice so much for the greater good, but that is not what matters. That is our destiny," Jena's grin broadened, "And it really isn't so bad when you think about it, you know."  
  
Ishtar smiled in return, "When did you get so damned smart?"  
  
"When I started listening to my heart and ignoring my fears and rationalism. Some things you just have to trust your heart on; it will never steer you wrong."  
  
~~~~~  
  
Minako sat up in her bunk, Jena's words echoing in her mind. She glanced over at the chronometer on the panel near her head. A few hours had passed, and by Minako's estimation, they should be nearing Saturn very soon. Minako swung her feet off of the bunk and set them down on the warm floor. 'I guess they thought of everything when the built this ship,' she thought as she stood. Much more comfortable and practical clothes had been set in a chair thoughtfully. Who knew what kind of terrain they would encounter on the forbidden of Saturn?  
  
After changing, Minako stepped out into the corridor and headed in what she hoped was the direction to the helm, where, presumably, her cousin would be. Minako wanted to speak to Arica about this mission without the others and to find out just what she was not telling them.  
  
Just as Minako had thought, Arica sat in the pilot's chair, staring out into the vastness of space and at the violet blip on the screen that was growing slowly. They were almost to Saturn. "Right on time as usual." Arica swivelled her chair around to view her cousin. "Sleep well? You look better."  
  
Minako nodded, "Quite well actually, considering that I dreamt the entire time."  
  
Arica quirked an eyebrow and smirked, "I don't think I have to ask what about." At Minako's slight blush, the smirk widened into a grin.  
  
After a moment, Minako sat up straight in her chair. Arica sent her a questioning look. "It's Ishtar, she wishes to speak to you."  
  
"Ah, do you mind any?" Arica asked.  
  
Minako shook her head, "Nah, you said I should get used to being used as a medium after all."  
  
Arica shook her head with a smile. "I didn't quite put it that way," she muttered. After a moment Minako looked up at Arica, the telltale golden tinge to her eyes. "Hullo Ishtar."  
  
Ishtar smiled and leaned back in the chair, "Hello Kaze, it's been a while, no?"  
  
"Mmm, not really. I always end up seeing you one way or another each life time." Arica stretched her long legs out before her and watched as her cousin seemed to take on a few of Ishtar's elven features. "She will get used to you and adjust to your presence, right?"  
  
Ishtar smiled and nodded, "Of course. Minako is just a little more stubborn than any other Guardian after me because she is a senshi and senshi seem to be." Ishtar waved her hand in an off-handed manner. "Well, you know how they can be. I think that part of it is some of Jena's influence."  
  
Arica laughed, "Of course, blame it on Jena." After a few moments of watching Saturn grow on the viewing screen, Arica asked, "What do you make of this whole situation? Do you think we will make it out of this one alive this time?"  
  
Ishtar sighed, "That is impossible to foretell, but then you already know that considering your gifts. This time around, you have all possible resources and help at your disposal. You even have the benefit of knowing something of your enemy this time around. We didn't have that last time."  
  
"No, we didn't, and I can't help but wonder if that was why we failed. Maybe we didn't think that they would figure out what we were doing, or that they might actually be able to escape it."  
  
"Ah, but you could not foretell such an event, but now you know to expect it this time around."  
  
Arica considered Ishtar's words before speaking again. "Do you think Minako has the ability to do it? You know she is going to be instrumental in this entire damned operation."  
  
"Which?" Ishtar asked with a roguish smile.  
  
Arica returned the grin with her own, "Both."  
  
Ishtar sighed again, "That, only time will tell. But, I can tell you this: if Minako would be unable to rise to the occasion, then would she really have been chosen as the Guardian of Venus?"  
  
"Indeed," Arica nodded. "And how much longer can I expect to have these pleasant little chats with you?"  
  
"I am here to ensure Minako is able handle the powers that come with being the Guardian, and to make sure she survives. I think that she will adjust quite quickly in the coming days. The events coming will see to it, but I will always be here should she need any help." After a moment, Ishtar added, "There will come a time when Minako finally understands fully what being the Guardian is and means. Then, she will understand why it is she that is both the senshi and the Guardian. Minako's birth has been prophesised since my own time. Jena and I always knew that there would come a time when our power would finally be born into the same person; our fates and magick have always been intertwined."  
  
Arica nodded in understanding, "And so, Minako, will always wield the sword from this point onward?"  
  
Ishtar nodded, "Every senshi of Venus has been one step closer to who Minako is. Minako is the only senshi who was born ready for this power coupled with her own senshi abilities; her destiny demands it." Both Arica and Ishtar turned to the viewer and the planet that now loomed in front of them simultaneously. Quietly, Ishtar said, "And so it begins anew."  
  
~~~~~  
  
End part one  
  
'Darkness and Light, Tranquillity and Chaos, Good and Evil: blood of Destiny and essence of life. Without the other, nothing.' 


End file.
